The author illustrates how offending and victimisation are very much about control and power. By employing a restorative approach, Wallis shows how victims are able to start feeling in control of their ordeal and can become empowered enough to confront their attacker. Victimisation, whether direct or indirect, has a powerful impact on children and their needs must be dealt with effectively. Children who do not get the support they need may resort to harmful, self-destructive or outwardly destructive behaviour as a way of regaining control over their lives.
The information is presented clearly without oversimplifying what are often complex issues, and without dichotomising "victims" and "offenders". Although aimed at practitioners, policy makers would do well to learn from this book as they look to reform the youth justice system, taking note of the need for early intervention and the use of restorative justice. Often the perpetrators of crimes against children are family members or peers, who we know are also vital in ensuring children's wellbeing. By using restorative and therapeutic interventions, it is possible to find lasting solutions that ensure children's safety and welfare while providing rehabilitation to the perpetrator.
Ilona Pinter is a policy adviser at The Children's Society
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