“I’m afraid so.” As the camera went in for a close-up on Archie, who looked as though he belonged in a boy band, Dan said, “I need to stress that Archie’s and Marcy’s case wasn’t typical of how the process works—and no RJ case is an alternative to the judicial system. It’s basically a mediation service that comes about usually at the request of the police or probation service, and each case goes through a rigorous assessment of its potential benefit to each participant before anyone is contacted.”

“Meaning that not every case qualifies and will only do so if it’s believed that the offender is genuinely remorseful?” Richie clarified.

“Exactly,” Dan confirmed. “And, of course, we need to know that the victim is willing, although that comes later.”

“Do any of the offenders ever try to fake it?”

“Yes, they do, and unfortunately it’s been happening a lot since Archie’s trial, but it doesn’t take an experienced practitioner long to weed out those who are playing a fast one from those who are genuine.”

“So what was it about Archie that convinced you both he and Marcy would benefit from restorative justice? Let’s start with who referred his case to you.”

With a glance at Archie, Dan said, “As I mentioned just now, this isn’t a typical case. Marcy Kavanagh is a friend of mine and of another practitioner who works with me. When we saw how she was reacting to the effects of her injuries we decided that I should approach Archie to explore whether a restorative process might help her.”

Turning to Archie, Richie said, “So what did you think when Dan first came to you with his proposal?”

Archie grimaced in a way that made Claudia reflect again on how much his confidence had grown since he’d been released from prison. A great deal had happened for him in the last month, and in spite of how he’d come into their lives, none of them, including her, could feel anything but pleased to see him turning his life around. “I kind of thought he was weird,” Archie admitted, “you know, a bit Clark Kentish.” Dan and Richie laughed, and Claudia smiled as the camera went in for a close-up of Dan and his super-specs. “I’d never heard of RJ before that,” Archie went on, “so I didn’t really get what he was going on about, but then he had this idea of me writing letters to Marcy telling her about myself and how I came to the point in my life where I committed the crime that badly injured her.”

“And I’m correct in thinking that Marcy knew nothing about these letters for quite some time?”

“No, she didn’t. Dan wanted to find out first what I had to say and if any of it might be beneficial to her.”