Restorative Justice championed by All Party Parliamentary Group on Hate Crime
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Hate Crime has published a report on how to tackle the rising problem of hate crime in the UK.
The report: How do we build community cohesion when hate crime is on the rise flags up Restorative Justice as a key part of the solution.
In the Executive Summary, the paper states that
One area where charities and community organisations can make a valuable contribution to the fight against hate crime is through supporting the provision of Restorative Justice. Research has shown that use of a restorative approach can bring tangible benefits and reduce the risk of future offending by perpetrators.”
Executive Summary of “How do we build community cohesion when hate crime is on the rise?”
This is really encouraging, because the use of Restorative Justice for hate crime has been Why me?’s most prominent campaign over the past year.
What is the APPG on Hate Crime?
It is a group of cross-party MPs formed in 2018, with the task of improving public knowledge and awareness of hate crime in the UK. It is chaired by Paula Sherriff, the Labour MP for Dewsbury.
What is the report?
The report is titled “How do we build community cohesion when hate crime is on the rise?”
It received submissions from organisations from across civil society, and is the first major report launched by the APPG on Hate Crime.
What does it say about Restorative Justice?
- That supporting the provision of Restorative Justice for hate crime is a key way that charities, civil society groups and community organisations can fight against hate crime.
- That research has shown Restorative Justice to have tangible benefits to all parties.
- That Restorative Justice could help reduce anger, anxiety and fear. (based on this study on the effects of Restorative Justice on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for robbery and burglary victims)
- That research suggests victims of hate crimes are likely to welcome the opportunity of Restorative Justice (based on a study looking anti-disability hate crime by “Speak Out” – page 36 of the report).
- That a majority of victims of LGBT+ hate crime preferred Restorative Justice to an enhanced sentence for the perpetrator. (based on this report by the Sussex Hate Crime Project).
What does it say about Why me?
- That we champion and facilitate the use of Restorative Justice.
- That our Access to Justice project involves working with police forces to work on using Restorative Justice for hate crime.
- That we call for the Government to re-commit to using Restorative Justice in hate crime cases as part of the Hate Crime strategy refresh.
- That we cited Government figures showing that Restorative Justice can result in 85% victim satisfaction rates and a 14% reduction in the frequency of re-offending.
- That we believe Restorative Justice has the potential to allow hate crime victims to take back control of telling their story and having their voice heard.
- That we believe Restorative Justice can bring the reality of victims’ suffering into focus for hate crime offenders.