A conference on restorative justice has been taking place in Edinburgh.

Police, politicians, teachers and rehabilitation workers, discussed how bringing criminals face to face with their victims to discuss what they have done can be one of the best ways to prevent reoffending.  

Eight years ago Will Riley found a burglar in his house. He challenged him, there was a struggle and the man came at him with a knife.

He explained how restorative justice helped him come to terms with his experience: "I was able finally to verbalise everything that I had been going through since the robbery.  

I had not been able to put the key in the door of my house without thinking that someone was going to be behind it and it is a very unpleasant feeling, you're traumatised by it."

Will now runs a group called "Why Me?" to help other victims.

He the conference in Edinburgh, looking at how a similar approach could be used here.

Chief Constable David Strang from Lothian and Borders Police said: "We are using restorative justice with minor offending, with minor offenders, but certainly there is evidence and practice elsewhere that says you can use it for more serious offences and we will be looking at that as well."

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "This won't work in every instance for every individual and every victim, but if it works for some then it should be available and victims want to know 'why did you do it?', 'are you sorry,' and 'will you give an assurance that you won't do it again and are you going to do anything to make it right?'

"If that can be done through putting the victim and the perpetrator together then that seems to me to be a good thing."

"Why me" say their experience shows restorative justice leaves victims satisfied with the outcome in more than two thirds of cases, far more than with the regular system.