This week, Paul Kohler, Why me? Ambassador and MP for Wimbledon shared his experience of Restorative Justice in the House of Commons. In his question, he explained to the new Prisons Minister, Catherine McKinnell, that his case would no longer be able to go ahead under the new ReHub policy. Calling for change to what he calls the “retrograde step”, he asked for a meeting to discuss the impact of the new policy.
“Restorative justice has a vital role to play in cutting reoffending and supporting victims. I would not be here today, after a violent attack in my home, were it not for a subsequent RJ session. I am consequently very concerned that the Prison and Probation Service has recently issued a protocol that would have denied access to RJ to my family, as well as the family of James Hodgkinson, on whom the play “Punch” is based. As I understand it, no Minister has yet been formally assigned the RJ role in the Ministry of Justice, but when they are, will they meet me and Jacob Dunne, the RJ campaigner and the perpetrator in “Punch”, to help reverse this retrograde step?”
In response, the Prisons Minister said: “I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that point. Restorative justice is clearly a vital part of our system, and we need to ensure that it works to the fullest effect. I would be more than happy to have the meeting that he suggests.”
Watch Paul speaking in the House of Commons
We thank Paul for raising this crucial issue in Parliament, and look forward to seeing the outcome of the meeting. We will keep you posted as we hear more.
