ABSTRACT
Some of the most moving and effective restorative justice conferences I have seen have been business regulatory conferences, especially following nursing home inspections in the US and Australia. After several days inspecting a nursing home that has had serious complaints about neglect of residents – horrible bed sores, residents left to lie for hours in sheets soaked in their own urine – three government inspectors meet with the six people in the nursing home’s management team, a staff representative, a lay member of the Board of Management of this church-run nursing home and a representative of the Relative’s Committee. They sit in a circle of chairs in a large meeting room. Then three representatives of the Resident’s Committee arrive with assistance from staff. One of them has her bed wheeled into the meeting. It is then tilted forward so the resident can see everyone in the circle. The inspectors discuss their findings. There are still some serious deficiencies in the home. By and large, management accepts their findings. But when they dissent that some of the complaints residents have made are exaggerated, the resident in the bed points out that there are other cases that could have been brought to the attention of the inspectors that are even worse. The Relative’s Representative concurs. One story is told to illustrate. The representative from the church says he is distressed that residents could be neglected in this way. Management agrees this is unacceptable and commits to put on some extra staff and introduce a staff training programme to deal with the problem.
