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About us

Why me? are a national charity delivering and promoting Restorative Justice for everyone affected by crime and conflict. Many victims of crime feel sidelined by the criminal justice process. Restorative Justice gives them the chance to ask questions about the incident, explain the impact that it 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.

Our Story

Why me? began with a crime.

Will Riley, an Islington business man, was burgled by Peter Woolf. Peter assaulted Will in his house, and was arrested while trying to escape. The video below tells their remarkable story.

Will met Peter in Pentonville prison through Restorative Justice. He was angry. The crime had affected him greatly, making him afraid every time he opened his front door. Following his meeting with Peter, he felt like he better understood what had happened and why. He was glad to have explained how much harm Peter had done to him, not allowed him to duck responsibility, and directed him towards a better path.

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. Peter has continued living on this better path ever since.

Will set up Why me? with Peter’s help, to fight for more people to have the opportunity to access Restorative Justice. It changed their lives, and they want to see it change many more people’s lives in the future.

They remain good friends, and continue to campaign for wider access to Restorative Justice.

Peter Woolf has written a book about his life and experience of Restorative Justice, if you are interested in purchasing a copy, get in touch via info@why-me.org.

Our work

Our work aims to increase access to Restorative Justice for people affected by crime and conflict in England and Wales. We do this by celebrating good practice, highlighting gaps, doing our own research and through working with practitioners and decision makers.

Findings from our work, and wider evidence about the benefits of Restorative Justice, can be found in our library.

We work with police, probation services, restorative providers, community groups and others to improve understanding and access to Restorative Justice. We also lobby the Government to make policy changes which will unlock this opportunity for more people affected by crime.

All victims of crime are entitled to information about Restorative Justice under the Victims’ Code of Practice. But only 5% of victims with a known offender recall being given this information. This needs to change. We would like to see Restorative Justice used increasingly in Out of Court Disposals and Youth Referral Orders, as they offer opportunities to avoid lengthy and sometimes traumatising court processes, and give people a chance to make amends following a crime. And we want Restorative Justice to be an option which everyone affected by crime has the opportunity to consider for themselves. This would improve the experience of people affected by crime in the UK, and benefit the Criminal Justice System.

Our service

We run our own registered Restorative Justice service. Our trained and experienced facilitators work with both parties to help them access the form of Restorative Justice which is best suited to them – whether this is a face to face meeting or indirect communication. Restorative Justice only goes ahead with both informed consent from the person who was harmed and the perpetrator.

Are you a journalist interested in Restorative Justice? Read our guidance for media professionals interested in Restorative Justice.

Keep up to date

Keep up to date with our projects and events via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter to keep up to date with the latest news, opportunities, events and reports from Why me?.

Read our latest blogs to see what we have been doing recently at Why me?.

Join us

Why me? are looking for a freelance restorative practitioner to support us in delivering our on-the-ground work. We are keen to encourage applications from a diverse range of people, and particularly welcome Black, Asian, or other ethnic identity applicants.

Why me? are also seeking a Restorative Justice Development Officer to assist in the delivery of Project Articulate.

For more information and to register your interest in either of these roles, please email meka.beresford@why-me.org with your CV and cover letter.