About us
Why me? is a national charity that promotes awareness of and access to Restorative Justice. Many people affected by crime feel sidelined by the criminal justice process. Restorative Justice gives them the chance to ask questions, explain the impact that the incident had on them, and have a say in how the harm can be repaired. This restorative dialogue transforms lives by helping people affected by crime to recover, and helping people who commit crime to stop.
Why me? began with a crime. Will Riley was burgled and assaulted by Peter Woolf in his home, and Peter was arrested while trying to escape. Will was left feeling angry and afraid to open his front door. The two men later met face to face in Pentonville prison through a Restorative Justice process. Will got the opportunity to explain how much harm Peter had caused and left feeling like he better understood what had happened and why. Having previously committed, by his own reckoning, over 20,000 crimes, Peter never offended again after meeting Will. Seeing the damage he had done encouraged Peter to change his life.
Will set up Why me? with Peter’s help, to fight for more people to have the opportunity to take part in Restorative Justice. They remain good friends, and continue to campaign for wider access to Restorative Justice.
Our mission
Our mission is to promote awareness & increase understanding of Restorative Justice, to advocate and enable its wider use and to serve as a community hub for everyone working, or with an interest in Restorative Justice.
Our vision
Our vision is to see Restorative Justice at the heart of a compassionate, equitable, and effective Criminal Justice System.
Our values
Do you want to find out more about Restorative Justice and how it could support you? We run a Restorative Justice helpline where you can speak to an expert and get your questions answered.
Our work aims to increase access to Restorative Justice for people affected by crime and conflict in England and Wales. We increase awareness of and access to Restorative Justice by celebrating good practice, sharing communications campaigns, lobbying policy makers, bringing the sector together, conducting research and delivering projects with groups of people who face additional barriers to accessing justice.
Meet the team
Why me? have a small but growing team of staff. All of us are committed to fighting for victims’ ability to access Restorative Justice. Read more about our roles and backgrounds.
Patrons
Why me? is delighted to be working with Patrons Jo Berry, Mel Giedroyc and Gillian Slovo to help raise awareness of and access to Restorative Justice.
Trustees
Why me? have a dedicated team of trustees who work with the staff to help give more victims access to Restorative Justice. Our team includes people with experience in policing, probation, third sector governance, and the criminal justice sector.
Equality and Diversity
Why me? seeks to embed equality and diversity in everything that we do. Read our equality and diversity strategy here.
Keep up to date
Keep up to date with our projects and events via Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram.
Read our latest blogs to see what we have been doing recently at Why me?.
You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter to keep up to date with the latest news, opportunities, events and reports from Why me?.