Saving money and rebuilding lives: The power of Restorative Justice
This is a blog by our Director, Lucy Jaffé.
What reduces crime, helps victim recovery and saves money from the public purse? Restorative Justice!
I don’t say this lightly.
It has taken years of academic research, delivery of casework by professional services and over a decade of consistent advocacy and campaigning work here at Why me? to be confident about the evidence to support greater use of Restorative Justice.
In the last 12 months, we have produced research proving the cost-benefit of Restorative Justice. The paper, published in the Frontiers in Psychology journal, shows a social cost-benefit of £14 per £1 invested. This includes a direct return to the criminal justice system of £4 as a result of substantial reductions in reoffending.
So I am going to ask you to imagine that you are one of the 12 Regional Probation Directors in England and Wales. Your job is to manage and rehabilitate some of the 258,719 people on probation at any one time. What is your main priority?
To make sure people don’t commit crime again.
As a Regional Probation Director, you are also responsible for managing the budget and finding the most cost-effective means of reducing individual reoffending – making sure that you don’t see the same people again.
You also have duties under the Victims’ Code of Practice to inform victims about Restorative Justice and how to access it.
Investment in Restorative Justice, ideally co-commissioned with local Police and Crime Commissioners, can help hit all those targets. The evidence for using Restorative Justice in the Probation Service is compelling and I would urge all 12 Regional Directors to invest in this effective intervention.
We are writing to all 12 Regional Probation Directors, explaining the cost benefit of RJ and urging them to invest further resources into it. We will also be working with the All Party Parliamentary Group to ensure that they are aware of the current position and the potential for widespread use of RJ in probation settings.
Find out more about the Why me?’s Economic Evaluation of Restorative Justice research