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What are the benefits of changing from a retributive to a more restorative justice environment?

This study explored the implementation of a restorative justice approach in a NHS trust over a period of 18 months. Summary in the next couple of weeks.

A whole host of changes were implemented, see image 2.

Some problems with retributive justice environments is that pressure is put on people’s willingness to raise bad news.

It also results in an omission of issues of substantive justice by ignoring matters of staff support or the fairness of rules.

Retributive environments is said to be linked more to power than it is justice, and “leaves the age-old procedural question of ‘who draws the line’ fundamentally unresolved” (p2)

Based on this 18-month reformation, benefits included:

·        A downward effect on the number of suspensions and disciplinary cases

·        Increased usage of staff face-to-face counselling

·        Moreover on seeking counselling, there were less presented issues involving bullying, career, formal procedures, violence/assaults

·        Increased reporting of adverse events

·        Reduction in absence due to illness

·        Improved staff retention

·        Increased trust across different organisational levels

·        Increase in compassionate leadership and psychological safety within teams

·        And lots more listed in the paper. 

Economic benefits were also observed. They found a “meaningful saving” of approximately 1% of the total costs and 2% of the labour costs – ~ £ 2.5 million per year savings.

Ref: Kaur, M., De Boer, R. J., Oates, A., Rafferty, J., & Dekker, S. (2019). Restorative just culture: a study of the practical and economic effects of implementing restorative justice in an NHS trust. In MATEC Web of Conferences (Vol. 273, p. 01007). EDP Sciences.

Study link:

https://www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/abs/2019/22/matecconf_icsc_eswc2018_01007/matecconf_icsc_eswc2018_01007.html

LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/benhutchinson2_what-are-the-benefits-of-changing-from-a-activity-7098443317117403137–mdi?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop