Restorative Justice raised by Why me? in Ministry of Justice’s prison review
This week, the Ministry of Justice closed their call for evidence as part of the ‘Independent review of the prison system in England and Wales’. Why me? submitted a response to the consultation, calling for wider access to Restorative Justice in prison. The review aims to “provide a strategic, risk-based assessment of the current, emerging […]
Government announce new measures to support victims affected by early release
The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has shared an update on the Early Release Scheme under the new Sentencing Act which is due to come into force in October. The key highlights from the update including additional offences which will be excluded from the Early Release Scheme and a package of support that will be made […]
Why me? call for ReHub policy change in letter to new Prisons Minister
This week, Why me?, in collaboration with Belong: Making Justice Happen and The Common Ground Justice Project, wrote to the new Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending Catherine McKinnell to highlight the sectors’ ongoing concerns about the new ReHub policy which has introduced a presumption of unsuitability for Restorative Justice in certain categories of crime. Our […]
Why me? share new teaching resources to engage students in Restorative Justice
Why me? are pleased to share a new range of teaching resources that enable students to learn about the power of Restorative Justice by listening to the stories of people who have been through it. Based on our pioneering Damage and Repair project, the resources highlight short clips from our audio collection of interviews with […]
Why me? shares three Restorative Justice priorities with new Ministers
This week, following the new ministerial appointments by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Why me? contacted the relevant ministers calling on them to support wider access to Restorative Justice. We have written to the new Ministers for Prisons, Violence Against Women and Girls, and Justice to share the power of Restorative Justice and urge them to […]
Feed into the Government’s Independent Review of Prisons
At the beginning of the month, the Government announced that they are conducting an independent review into the prison system in England and Wales. They explained that the rationale behind this decision was the “ongoing and future challenges that are not widely understood, shaped by pressures across capacity, safety and decency, security and rehabilitation, as […]
The sector responds to new ReHub policy in letter to Lord Timpson
On Wednesday this week (1st July), Why me? submitted a letter to Lord Timpson, Minister for Prisons and Probation, outlining the sector’s concerns with ReHub’s new policy. Signed by over 45 other organisations and practitioners, the letter was based on a consultation process where Why me? gathered the views of the restorative sector. ReHub’s new […]
Saving Face: New short film depicting Restorative Justice, informed by lived experience
A new short film about the power of Restorative Justice has been released, in collaboration with Kestrel Theatre, who deliver in prison theatre workshops. Dorothy Allen-Pickard, the film’s Director said the following: “We wanted to make this film to develop a way of telling stories about prison, crime and restorative justice that places people with lived […]
A safe way to deliver Restorative Justice for domestic and sexual violence
This is a blog by our Communications and Campaigns Manager, Keeva Baxter. When the Labour Government came into power in 2024, they pledged to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. This ambitious but necessary commitment is going to be a challenge for them to achieve if serious changes aren’t made. The […]
ReHub share update on ‘presumption of unsuitability’ for certain crime types
This is a blog by Why me? CEO, Sara Dowling. This week, Why me? received further communication from ReHub (HMPPS’ Restorative Practice Hub) as part of their internal review. The update focused on the implementation of the new policy, which will introduce a ‘presumption of unsuitability’ of Restorative Justice for certain types of crimes. […]