161. Gael Cochrane and David Russell: Can Restorative Justice work with people who sexually offend?
See show highlights below. David Russell is Community Safety & Justice Manager at Midlothian Council and the lead for the development of Restorative Justice. Prior to this he was a senior practitioner with Barnardo's specialising in work with children and young people with harmful sexual behaviour and / or who had experienced sexual abuse or exploitation. David has extensive experience in providing assessments and interventions for vulnerable children, adolescents and adults within the field of sexual harm and violence and has also worked in custodial settings. David provides training independently on a range of themes about sexual violence and has facilitated multi-disciplinary training internationally. He currently sits on the NOTA Scotland executive committee and is the chair of the Community Justice Scotland network. He is also the chair of the national advisory panel for the third sector organisation, Thriving Survivors in which he supports the practice and development of restorative justice in cases of sexual harm. Gael Cochrane is a Learning Development and Innovation Lead for Community Justice Scotland, tasked with driving learning through innovation. Gael focuses on the design and delivery of world-class training and professional development in collaboration with justice sector partners and the wider Scottish workforce. The researchers found that reading and transcribing content related to sexual harm had a significant impact on them emotionally. They emphasized the importance of maintaining a non-biased approach and outlining the goals and objectives of their research. The researchers acknowledged the consuming nature of their work and the need for a balance and a switch-off point. They discussed the high levels of self-disclosure and the significance of understanding the psychosexual development of individuals involved in restorative justice. The researchers highlighted the need for well-trained facilitators and a better understanding of the nature of sexual harm for organizations working with victims. They emphasized that sexual harm is not a homogeneous issue and that different cases require different approaches. The researchers found that the majority of the men interviewed took responsibility for the harm they caused and had a good understanding of restorative justice. They mentioned the challenges of justifying their work, particularly in the face of criticism from feminists. The researchers emphasized their motivation to prevent future harm and improve the lives of individuals involved in sexual harm. They discussed the importance of debriefing and having a safe space to express emotions, as well as the need to switch off and engage in other activities for self-care.