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 and future risks and opportunities facing the prison system in England and Wales.”
In our response, we recognised the challenges that the prison estate currently faces from overcrowding and high staff turnover to people in prison being unable to access the resources they need to make positive change. We emphasised that these barriers can make it harder for people in prison to reintegrate into the community upon release.
How can Restorative Justice help?
We urged the Government to use restorative values within the prison to ensure that everyone, from prison staff to those serving a sentence have the opportunity to have their say. Providing a more restorative culture will allow staff to voice their concerns would support overall wellbeing.
We also called for wider awareness of Restorative Justice across the prison system, with opportunities for people to find out about it and be referred to a local service if they are interested. This can be done by implementing the following things:
- Have a named Restorative Justice champion within the prison who is able to share key information about what RJ is and how to access it.
- Ensure that prison staff are trained and equipped in ‘how to make the offer’, particularly prison officers and offender managers.
- Facilitate prisoners directly hearing the story of someone who has been through the Restorative Justice process
- Ensure that information on what Restorative Justice is, and how they can access it is available to people in prison (multi format and accessible eg, leaflets, posters etc)
- Have an established referral pathway with the local Restorative Justice service
We outlined how increased access to Restorative Justice in prison can lead to reduced reoffending rates, thereby reducing the strain on the prison system. On top of this, we also highlighted that many people in prison have also been victims of crime so getting the chance to access some healing and closure can be transformative in their recovery and reintegration into the community.
In order to address the current prison crisis, a shift in culture is needed to focus more on rehabilitation, reintegration and repair. It is crucial that people in prison are supported to build skills, develop through learning and manage the risk factors that could lead to reoffending on release.
We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the review and we will keep you posted as we hear more.
Photo credit: Andy Aitchison
