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Restitution

Definition

A remedy ordered against the convicted offender, requiring them to return property, repair harm, or pay the victim directly, as opposed to compensation, which is paid by the state.

Related terms

Access to Justice and Fair Treatment
The first pillar of the 1985 Declaration: victims should be treated with dignity, informed of their role and of case progress, and...
Circle Sentencing
A community-led sentencing process, drawn from Indigenous justice practice in Canada, in which a judge, offender, victim and community members sit in...
Crime Victims' Rights Act
A 2004 United States federal statute, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 3771, that gives crime victims a set of enforceable rights in...
Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power (1985)
A UN General Assembly resolution, adopted on 29 November 1985, that set out non-binding standards on access to justice, restitution, compensation, and...
EU Victims' Directive
Directive 2012/29/EU, adopted on 25 October 2012, which set minimum enforceable standards on the rights, support, and protection of crime victims across...
Family Group Conferencing
A restorative process, developed in New Zealand youth justice, that brings the offender's and victim's extended families together with professionals to agree...
Net Widening
The expansion of formal state control that occurs when a diversionary or community-based measure draws in minor cases that would otherwise have...
Restorative Justice
A process in which the victim, the offender, and relevant community members meet with a trained facilitator to discuss the harm caused,...
Victim Compensation Scheme
A state-funded arrangement that pays money to a victim, or the victim's dependants, when the offender cannot pay or cannot be identified,...
Victim-Offender Mediation
A facilitated, voluntary meeting between a victim and the offender responsible for harming them, aimed at dialogue, acknowledgement of harm and a...

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