Restorative Justice is common sense policing. It gives police
officers the discretion to do the right thing; put victims
first; hold offenders to account and resolve community problems at
a very local level.
Restorative Justice is not a new phenomenon. It has been around
for a number of years. It is an alternative to criminalisation in
which victims, offenders and communities are brought together to
decide on the response to a particular crime.
What is Restorative Justice?
The offender and victim meet in an arranged situation to discuss
the crime, why it took place, how it made them feel to encourages
offenders to acknowledge the impact of what they have done in
addition to giving them the opportunity to make reparation.
It also offers the victims who have suffered harm the chance to
have their harm/loss acknowledged and enforces an element of
closure. It is hoped to gain a result of lessening the chances of
re-offending and re-entering the criminal justice system.
When is it used?
It is most commonly used to deal with relatively minor
offences when the victim has indicated that they would prefer the
matter to be dealt with through Restorative Justice. This might
include:
- getting offenders to remove graffiti and repair property
they have damaged
- arranging meetings between shoplifters and
shop managers to hear the effects of their thefts
- getting offenders to write letters of apology
The aims of Restorative Justice
The aim is to encourage and promote a restorative ethos within
the Constabulary, focusing on victims needs and finding positive
solutions to crimes and incidents by encouraging offenders to face
up to their actions and the repercussions.
Another of the aims is to ensure Neighbourhood Policing Teams
understand their local community's values and priorities to allow
restorative justice to be utilised as a key tool in dealing with
anti-social behaviour and other incidents that have an impact on a
community.
Benefits of Restorative Justice
Restorative justice is about offenders making amends directly to
the victims of their crimes people or organisations they
have harmed, rather than being punished by the state.
Cheshire Constabulary supports restorative justice because
it:
- gives victims a greater voice in the criminal justice
system
- provides victims with the opportunity to get an
explanation from offenders
- makes offenders take responsibility for their actions
- shows local communities that offenders are making amends
for their offences
Restorative justice is not a soft option because many offenders
find it very difficult to take responsibility and face up to
the impact of their crimes.
The evidence
- 27 per cent reduction in the frequency of re-offending of
those who participated in Restorative Justice.
- 85 per cent of victims and 80 per cent of offenders
were satisfied with their experience of an Restorative Justice
conference and 78 per cent of victims who took part in
Restorative Justice said they would recommend it to other
victims.
Restorative Justice and Cheshire Constabulary
In Cheshire several pilot schemes are being trialled across the
county in varying situations such as schools, communities and youth
justice.
A select group of specialist staff within the Cheshire
Constabulary are currently being equipped with the necessary
skills, enabling them to have an adequate understanding of
restorative approaches in order to bring victims, offenders and
communities together. Over time, more and more staff will be
trained to be able to deal with and conduct an Restorative Justice
conference.