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Victims can often help to make an offender understand the consequences of their crime through a system called restorative justice.
It allows victims to choose to meet the offender and help them to see the impact of their behaviour. Victims, offenders and communities work together to decide on a response to a particular crime, such as writing a letter of apology or removing graffiti.
The parties will also agree what changes need to be made to help prevent offences like this happening in future. The victims often feel better for seeing the offender take responsibility for their actions, and offenders can face up to their crimes and see how it has affected the victim. Restorative justice is also used successfully in schools.
A famous example of restorative justice at work internationally is the The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) assembled in South Africa after the end of Apartheid. Anybody who felt he or she had been a victim of violence could come forward and be heard at the TRC, a court-like body. Perpetrators of violence could also give testimony and request amnesty from prosecution.