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Reintegrative Shaming Experiments (RISE)

Recidivism patterns in the Canberra Reintegrative Shaming Experiments (RISE)

Lawrence W Sherman, Heather Strang and Daniel J Woods
Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University

November 2000

Australian National University

Introduction

This report describes findings from the Reintegrative Shaming Experiments (RISE) on recidivism behaviour among offenders involved in the almost 1300 cases which were the subject of the experiments.

The aim of the study has been to compare the effects of standard court processing with the effects of a restorative justice intervention known as diversionary conferencing for four kinds of offences:

  • Drink driving (over .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) by offenders at any age
  • Juvenile property offending with personal victims by offenders aged under 18 years
  • Juvenile shoplifting offences by offenders aged under 18 years detected by shop security staff
  • Youth violent offences by offenders aged under 30 years

The key criteria for comparing court processing to conferences are these:

  • Perceptions of procedural fairness by victims and offenders
  • Victim satisfaction with the process
  • Costs
  • Patterns of repeat offending

Our Progress Reports of June 1998 and July 1999 revealed that across all four offence categories, both offenders and victims found conferences to be procedurally fairer than court. Heather Strang's report entitled 'Victims and Restorative Justice: the Canberra Reintegrative Shaming Experiments' (forthcoming as a book), found higher levels of victim satisfaction with conferences than with court. The analysis relating to the costing hypothesis is still underway. This report specifically concerns findings relating to repeat offending.