Why me? meet the Prisons Minister
This week, Why me?’s CEO, Sara Dowling, met with the Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation, Lord Timpson to discuss Restorative Justice.
The meeting was the result of a question raised by our Ambassador, and Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon, Paul Kohler, in a recent session of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). During the PMQs, Paul shared his own experience of Restorative Justice following an attack in his home, and explained how transformative Restorative Justice had been for his family. He requested a meeting in order to discuss “how the Government could give Restorative Justice greater emphasis and put victims at the center of the Criminal Justice System”. In response, Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, expressed his sympathy for Paul’s experience and said “I too have seen the power of Restorative Justice”. The Prime Minister went on to say “we can always do more”, in regards to the awareness and access to Restorative Justice and agreed to ensure that Paul could meet the relevant Minister to discuss further. You can watch the question and response here at 22:50.
A meeting was arranged with Lord Timpson for the 25th of February, and was attended by Paul and our CEO, Sara Dowling. The meeting was a fantastic opportunity to explain the barriers faced by the Restorative Justice sector, and collaborate with Government on finding solutions. We discussed how Restorative Justice can be integrated into the justice system, from its use as a diversion tool to prison sentences and through to probation. We look forward to working alongside the Minister to help more people affected by crime to access Restorative Justice. We will keep you updated with our progress.