(1) Any of the following may take part in a restorative justice conference if invited by the convenor:
(a) the police officer who is the informant for the offence;
(b) a parent of a suitable victim or the offender;
(c) a family member or domestic partner of a suitable victim, a suitable parent or the offender;
(d) a person in a domestic relationship with a suitable victim, a suitable parent or the offender;
(e) anyone else, if—
(i) a suitable victim or parent, or the offender, considers the person can provide emotional or practical support for the victim, parent or offender; or
(ii) the convenor considers that the participation of the person would help to promote the objects of this Act in relation to the conference.
(2) If a required participant asks the convenor to invite a person mentioned in subsection (1) to take part in the conference, the convenor must not refuse the request unless the convenor considers, on reasonable grounds, that to invite the participant would be significantly detrimental to the objects of this Act in relation to the conference.
(3) If a participant in a restorative justice conference is represented by someone acting for the participant in a professional capacity, the representative may not take part in the conference in that capacity.
Examples of people acting for participants in a professional capacity
1 lawyers
2 victim intercessors
3 offender intercessors
Note An example is part of the Act, is not exhaustive and may extend, but does not limit, the meaning of the provision in which it appears (see Legislation Act, s 126 and s 132).
(4) In this section:
"domestic relationship"—see the Domestic Relationships Act 1994 , section 3 (Interpretation).
Note For the meaning of domestic partner , see Legislation Act, s 169.