Valuing victims through a time of change
This is a blog by our Communications and Campaigns Manager, Keeva Baxter. Thank you to Faye Sellers who wrote the Valuing Victims report for Why me?.
The restorative sector is approaching a time of change. With the Government having just launched their consultation into the Victims Code of Practice and, just prior to that, announcing the end of Police and Crime Commissioners, the restorative landscape could shift over the coming years. This is an opportunity for us to reflect on how the delivery of Restorative Justice works at the moment, and construct clear and concise asks for policy makers to ensure that provision of RJ is strengthened through this transition, rather than weakened.
In light of this, we are sharing our latest Valuing Victims report, which analyses data on Restorative Justice provision from 2024/25. The report was the result of a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice, which revealed data on the number of cases delivered by each service, how much money was invested in the service and much more. This enables us to see the gaps, both in provision and the data collection itself, evidencing the need for improvements. Key findings include the inconsistency of data collected by each service and the postcode lottery that determines which victims of crime can access support.
These findings are not for lack of commitment and hard-work from the services themselves, but indicate a lack of national leadership, no standardisation across the country and funding that reflects the commitment of individual PCCs rather than need or demand. As we approach a time of inevitable change, now is the moment to raise these issues with the Government and make sure that Restorative Justice does not fall through the net and in fact is improved.
What are the upcoming changes?
Firstly, the Government announced that they were changing how policing and crime is managed in England and Wales by getting rid of the current Police and Crime Commissioner led model. This mean that, as of 2028, we will no longer elect Police and Crime Commissioners to manage the decisions on crime and delivery of services in our area. At the moment, it is the Police and Crime Commissioners in each area who determine how much funding is put into the local Restorative Justice service, and they help shape what that service looks like. As a result, areas with committed PCCs who understand the value of RJ have better-resourced services. The Government declared that the new system will involve PCC powers being passed to regional Mayors instead, where possible.
The second big change to the restorative landscape is the Government’s recently announced consultation on the Victims Code of Practice. This process is designed to gather the views of both victims of crime and the professionals supporting them to shape a more effective Victims Code. Why me? will be conducting a consultation of our own to gather the views of the restorative sector and share a collective response.
What can I do?
To help prepare you for the changes, take a look at our Valuing Victims report and consider the changes you would like to see in your local area to improve the provision of Restorative Justice. In particular, what changes would you like to see to the Victims Code in order to strengthen access to Restorative Justice for victims of crime?
We will shortly be sharing how you can get involved. Make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter where we will share how to participate.
