Dean calls for restorative justice system

The Dean of St Michael’s Cathedral has called on the legal community to build a justice system grounded in consistency, fairness, equity and mercy, urging judges and lawyers to place restoration alongside punishment.

The Very Reverend Dr Jeffrey Gibson said the criminal justice system should seek not only to hold offenders accountable, but also to restore individuals and strengthen the wider community.

Speaking at the church service to open the new law year, Dean Gibson challenged the nation’s highest legal minds to look beyond punitive measures and actively pursue the holistic restoration of both offenders and the wider community.