Questions and control in victim–offender meetings

In some restorative justice schemes, facilitators have been found to control discussions and outcomes, influence the participation rights of offenders and victims and coax offenders into explanations of accountability. This study used audio-recordings of four restorative justice meetings that were transcribed and examined using the method of conversation analysis. I examined the questions asked by the facilitator, focusing on the role of epistemics in how the questions were constructed. Findings revealed a relationship between asking questions and having control, showing the significant role the facilitator played in shaping the restorative justice narrative through the question–answer framework. Offenders and victims were questioned differently by the facilitator, resulting in the talk of offenders being restricted and scrutinised.