Guided by the mediator, both parties talk through what happened and how they feel. They discuss why and how the incident happened, its effect and how the defendant might make amends.

Justice mediation usually takes about 2 hours and is held at the local courthouse or Dispute Resolution Centre. An interpreter can attend if necessary.

Once the parties reach an agreement, the mediator helps both parties write it down.

At justice mediation, you can:

• Tell the defendant how their behaviour affected you;
• Ask questions about the incident;
• Express your feelings in a supportive environment supported by family and friends;
• Reduce your fear of further victimisation;
• Receive an explanation or apology from the defendant;
• Make an agreement with the defendant about how they can repair the harm they’ve caused.

The police, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions or court can refer you for justice mediation with your approval. We then contact you to explain the process and the role of the mediators.

All matters you discuss are confidential. You can arrange and receive legal advice before and during the mediation.

You can invite family or friends to support you during a mediation. If you don’t wish to attend the mediation in person, you can:

• Write a victim impact statement;
• Send a tape-recorded message to be played to the defendant;
• Nominate a friend or family member to attend on your behalf.

You can contact a member of the justice mediation program for more information:

Brisbane

(07) 3239 6246
[email protected]

Gold Coast

(07) 5583 5073
[email protected]

Townsville and Cairns

(07) 4760 9868
[email protected]

If you have harmed someone or damaged their property, justice mediation enables you to:

• Own up to what you’ve done;
• Accept responsibility for your actions;
• Take steps to repair the harm or damage you’ve caused.

At justice mediation, you’re expected to accept responsibility for your behaviour and acknowledge the impact that it had on the complainant.

At the session, you can talk about how and why the incident happened. The complainant then talks about the incident and the impact it’s had on their life.

Complainants are often very upset about what has happened to them. They usually want to express their emotions and feelings about the incident. This is a very natural response. The mediators help manage the strong emotions and direct the discussions towards a positive outcome for everyone.

The meditation focuses on what happened, the effects on all parties and what can be done to repair any harm that resulted. The group can discuss how the harm can be repaired. Once you and the complainant agree on the best way to make amends, you’re able to sign an agreement with the complainant.

The police, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions or court can refer you for justice mediation with your consent. We then contact you to confirm you’re willing to participate.

You can contact the Dispute Resolution Centre for more information.

You can discuss justice mediation with your lawyer, or the investigating police officer or prosecutor.

After the mediation, we let the referrer know that the justice mediation has occurred. With both parties’ consent, we provide a copy of the agreement to the referrer so they can see if and how the parties have finalised the matter. The referrer then decides whether the court process should continue.