The first piece of research from the UK pilot of the Europe-wide programme, Restorative justice at post-sentencing level; supporting and protecting victims, has been released. Consisting of a series of detailed, in-depth interviews, the results offer an insight into the practical and operational barriers denying victims access to restorative justice meetings.
A couple of weeks ago the Howard League launched a campaign focused on the new criminal courts charge, which is imposed on anyone convicted of an offence regardless of their capacity to pay. Through this campaign they have highlighted examples of cases where offenders have faced steep financial penalties for relatively minor crimes. The media has also recently focused on the case of Louisa Sewell, who was given a £328.75 fine for stealing a packet of Mars Bars.
The RJC recently submitted a consultation response to the Ministry of Justice welcoming revised proposals to the Victims’ Code. The code of practice for victims of crime establishes minimum standards for their rights, support and protection.
The RJC would like all victims of crime to have access to restorative justice and are pleased to see common barriers to access – from information sharing to type of offence - addressed in these revisions.
The RJC has submitted a response to an independent review, chaired by Lord Laming and established by the Prison Reform Trust, to consider why looked after children are more likely than other children in England and Wales to get involved with the criminal justice system. The review aims to determine what can be done to help more children in care stay out of trouble.
The RJC would like restorative justice to be used increasingly as a diversionary measure with children in care who display challenging behaviour. The following recommendations have been made as part of the submission:
As my daughter moves through the primary school where I'm also a governor, I’m becoming increasingly aware of the challenges of imposing discipline positively and constructively in a school environment, while also addressing the concerns of parents whose children have been affected by problematic behaviour.
In May 2001, Christopher Donovan and his brother Philip were on a night out together when they were attacked by a gang of youths. Philip was beaten unconscious, and when Christopher tried to help him, he was pulled to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the head. He was then left unconscious in the middle of a four-lane road, where he was hit by a car and dragged for forty feet.
At the RJC, our vision is that everyone should live in a genuinely restorative society. But what would this really mean in practice? Would it be like everyone moving to Hull (figuratively at least), probably the best known restorative city? Or is there more to it than that?
The RJC would like to congratulate Surrey Youth Restorative Intervention, part of Surrey Youth Support Service and Surrey Police, which received the Howard League Restorative Justice Community Award at an award ceremony in London this week.
I was pushing my 99-year-old mother in her wheelchair just outside the sheltered accommodation block where she lives. Her handbag, which had her purse in it, was slung over the arm of the wheelchair. All of a sudden I was pushed to one side and this boy snatched the handbag and ran off.
