Maximising access to Restorative Justice: 10 Asks for PCCs
This is a blog by our Communications and Campaigns Manager, Keeva Baxter.
This week Why me? is publishing our 2024 ‘10 Asks’ campaign, outlining ten key steps that Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales can take to ensure that Restorative Justice is safe and accessible in their area.
Our pre-election pledge campaign demonstrated a wealth of support for Restorative Justice, with 42 candidates pledging to ensure access in their area. Now that the new and returning PCCs are in office, we want to use these ‘Ten Asks’ to support them to fulfil this pledge and ensure victims of crime in their area are supported.
To create these ten recommendations, we consulted with the sector, holding a forum in April where we discussed what local services wanted from their PCCs.
As a result of this session, and building off of our previous ‘Ten Asks’ campaign, we have come up with the following ten headlines:
Each of these headlines is accompanied by a short description explaining what this looks like in practice, and a full document has been sent to all Police and Crime Commissioners. We have also attached a checklist of the recommendations so that areas can audit their service provision and identify areas for improvement.
So what does each recommendation mean?
- Ringfenced funding – Funding for Restorative Justice needs to be ringfenced to ensure that there are enough resources to support a fully staffed, specialist service.
- Flexible funding requirements – We know that for many services, there are restrictions on what funding can be spent on. We want to ensure that services can use funding for important training, accreditation and proactive outreach to communities in their area.
- No blanket bans – Our aim at Why me? is to ensure that everyone affected by crime is told about Restorative Justice and is able to speak to an expert about whether it would be right for them. While some cases will not be suitable to go ahead, we don’t think anyone should be excluded based on who they are or the type of crime they experienced. The most common blanket bans are on crime types such as domestic abuse, sexual violence or hate crime. While cases in these categories will have additional risks and considerations, that doesn’t mean that automatically no restorative intervention could be considered. The flexibility of the restorative process means that, even if face-to-face interaction with the harmer isn’t possible, a conversation with a facilitator can still be extremely valuable. As well as written blanket bans, we are also referring to ‘cultural blanket bans’, where there is an understanding in the service or OPCC that certain cases aren’t accepted, even if it isn’t written in policy.
- Better data – Whilst services across the country see the benefits of Restorative Justice everyday, it is crucial that this is captured in a meaningful way to demonstrate the power to others. Too often we hear about PCCs only focusing on face-to-face interventions, without acknowledging the breadth of other valuable work being done by the service. Some ways to do this include dip sampling of cases, recording both quantitative and qualitative data and not limiting recorded outcomes to just face-to-face meetings with direct victims.
- Working together – We recommend regular communication between the OPCC, the Restorative Justice service and the police to allow for smooth transfer of data and easy referral pathways.
- RJ Champions – Whilst services are full of people passionate about using restorative practice to improve people’s lives, this needs to be reflected within the OPCC and police too. By having a key point of contact within these institutions, people will know where to turn with a potential referral and there will be greater awareness amongst police and OPCC staff.
- Regular training – Staff within the police and OPCC should be given regular Restorative Justice training so they can spot signs that someone might be suitable and make the offer with the people they work with.
- Public awareness – The Crime Survey for England and Wales found that less than 6% of victims with a known offender recalled being offered Restorative Justice. So, without knowing about what’s on offer, how can victims of crime get access to the resources they need? We want PCCs to work with their local service to help get the message out about Restorative Justice. This can be done through social media posts, web pages, mentioning it in speeches, signing our pledge and providing leaflets, posters and other resources.
- Partnerships – There should be strong, ongoing partnerships between the Restorative Justice service and local support organisations. This could range from sexual violence support services, refugee charities, victims services, and more.
- Accessibility – PCCs and the local RJ service should actively consider how accessible their offer of RJ is. This includes giving information in a format and language people will understand and may involve providing pathways that do not involve contact with the police.
We are offering one-to-one meetings with all PCCs, inviting them to discuss these recommendations and their Restorative Justice provision. If you work with your PCC, let them know the benefits of meeting these Ten Asks and encourage them to meet with Why me? to discuss it further.
