This Restorative Justice Week we're asking "What
would you do?"
From:
First published:
14 November 2014
This year, the Ministry of Justice
(MoJ) is supporting International Restorative Justice Week (16 to 23 November)
by running a public awareness raising campaign.
The campaign, which is being
supported by the Restorative Justice Council, WhyMe? and the Chris Donovan
Trust, is called “What would you do?”, encouraging people to think about
whether they would meet somebody who committed a crime against them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51FQbAFqopc
Restorative justice (RJ) is the
process of bringing together victims of crime and their offenders to discuss
the impact of the crime, repair the harm and find a positive way forward. It
offers victims the chance to be heard, get answers to questions and provide a
sense of closure. It also forces offenders to face up to the impact of their
behavior and in this way can help to reduce reoffending.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/northdurham/durham/11607188._Premier_League_villains__go_straight_after_meeting_victims/
'Premier League villains' go straight after meeting
victims
TWO “Premier League villains” have
turned their lives around after coming face-to-face with their victims, a chief
constable said today (Monday, November 17).
Durham Police chief constable Mike
Barton said between them David Clark and Shaun Morton committed about 500
crimes a year.
But after taking part in a
restorative justice scheme, both are now drink and drug free and volunteering
with other addict criminals.
Sitting between Clark and Morton at
a press conference at police headquarters, Mr Barton said they were among his force’s
top ten criminals and called them “Premier League villains” but praised them
for “turning their lives around”.
And the police chief revealed how he
had taken restorative justice home with him, having Clark round for dinner.
“I can vouch for him when he says
he’s drink free because when I served beef bourguignon, he wouldn’t eat it
because it’s got red wine in,” he said.
Mr Barton was speaking at the start
of the Ministry of Justice’s Restorative Justice Week.
Durham Police, working with others,
invite criminals to meet their victims and discuss how they can put right their
wrong.
Mr Barton said the scheme works
because it taps into “the innate goodness in people”.
“People aren’t born bad. Nurture is
far stronger than nature. Shaun and David didn’t want to be bad,” he said.
Mr Barton admitted crime was rising
but said 90 per cent of victims of anti-social behaviour were happy with his
force’s response and every one of 14 inspections this year has said “wow,
something feels different here”.
The chief said restorative justice
required courage from both offender and victim but could be used for any crime,
including murder, death by dangerous driving and, with safeguards, domestic
abuse.
He admitted it was more expensive
than traditional methods but said it produced a “big payout” in reducing
re-offending.
Mr Barton rejected suggestions it
was a “soft option”, saying: “If people should go to prison, they should go to
prison.
“Victims don’t want other people to
be victims.”
Clark added: “I wasn’t getting anything
out of it. I was already in prison.”
Northumbria Police and Crime
Commissioner Vera Baird has also backed Restorative Justice Week, saying
putting victims first is a very important priority for her.
