Restorative justice on the Victoria Derbyshire show on BBC Two

Restorative justice received widespread coverage yesterday when the Victoria Derbyshire show on BBC Two featured a powerful interview with Laura, a child sexual abuse survivor who met her abuser in a restorative justice conference.

Laura was sexually abused by her step father from the age of eight until she was 14. She went on to suffer from eating disorders and to self harm but in 2006 she was able to tell the police about what happened. Her step father was arrested and pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years in prison, reduced to eight on appeal and served four years. Laura met her step father after 11 months of preparation with an experienced facilitator at the National Probation Service South of Tyne.

She said: "For me, restorative justice really worked well. Depending on the situation it can be a really positive thing for victims of abuse ... I would tell other people to consider restorative justice, and to put their trust in their facilitator. It’s done me nothing but good.”

The Victoria Derbyshire show included an interview with Jon Collins, the RJC’s CEO. He said: “Restorative justice works – and Laura’s experience shows the benefits it can have for victims of even the most serious crimes. It can make a real difference, helping them to put the crime behind them and move on with their life.”

Watch Laura's interview on the Victoria Derbyshire Show on the BBC website and read a separate interview in The Mirror.

Support the RJC and help us make sure every victim of crime can benefit from restorative justice – find out more.