Language level: Advanced
Standard: British accent
Crime & Punishment
On a quiet autumn evening Brian Perkins opened the door to his house in a suburb of Leicester and was instantly aware that everything wasn’t as it should be. He sensed that his house had been broken into:
Brian Perkins
Standard: British accent
When I got upstairs, I realised that a door that a door had been forced and, as I pushed aside the…the remnants of that door, I saw that there was on intruder, a burglar. And you witness a situation there where life goes into slow motion, it seems to stand still. I put, really, what was a stupid question to him, as to why he was there, he was obviously an intruder, looking back on it, and he gave me a stupid answer, that some neighbour had told him that this was the way to come out of the house: it couldn’t possibly have been! And suddenly a situation that seemed to stand still for an eternity became very rapid. Suddenly we were wrestling and, for the first time, I got a sight of this character and it was quite obvious that he was drugged, his eyes glazed and it became a struggle in which he wasn’t really putting up much resistance, which was very interesting, because my reaction at that stage, oddly enough, was not to hurt him, because behind him was a landing window and I realised – we were rolling along the wall, as it were – that I could easily have pushed him through that window and he could have fallen to serious injury, or even his death.
FACE TO FACE
Fortunately, Perkins was able to overcome the intruder, who was then arrested, but a short while later Perkins was approached by the police, who told him about the Restorative Justice Scheme. The scheme brings together all parties concerned in a crime and gives them the opportunity to talk about what happened. The police explained that it was of value to both Perkins and his attacker in facing each other and discussing the crime. But how does it feel to confront someone who has broken into your home and attacked you?
Brian Perkins:
It was a combination. There was anger, there was, somewhere not too far below the surface, a wish for revenge, and yet when he spoke and we actually moved into a conversation, it surprised me how quickly those emotions faded away, and we were dealing with a situation where he had a traumatic experience and so had I and, looking back on it, each of us had our own reactions, and I do believe that the effect of that conversation was greater on him than it was on me.
NEXT TIME?
Brian Perkins and his attacker had three meetings, but does he feel that they had any effect and that they might lead to the criminal reconsidering his actions in the future?
Brian Perkins:
Yes, I did, and yes, I do. I think having met him and having had quite lengthy discussions with him which were not friendly chats, each was expressing what happened from each other’s point of view, but at least I understand him a lot better and I’m certain he understands me a lot better. I suppose the real question would be, if I were to be subjected to that situation again, would I behave differently, and I don’t think I would because you never know the extent of the threat you’re facing.
In Practice (no audio)
Restorative justice focuses on seeing crime as an act against another individual or community, rather than against the state.
The victim plays a major role in the process and may receive some type of restitution form the offender. Examples of restorative justice range from international peace-making tribunal (such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa) to dealing with primes involving schools, social services and communities. The first formal program for victim-offender meditation took place in Canada. The idea was that a victim would be more likely to experience greater satisfaction form a meeting and discussion with the offender than from material compensation alone.
From these discussions the theory of restorative justice emerged. Its main purpose is to repair and rebuild relationship.
Restorative justice was eventually taken up in Britain in the 1980s. such is its importance today that it even has its own website. For further information, visit: www.restorativejustice.com
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