Local victims of crime share experiences of restorative justice

Following the launch of the city region’s Restorative Justice Service - which aims to bring crime victims in contact with offenders - in summer, more than 100 people have so far been supported.

The service is commissioned by GM Combined Authority working in partnership with Greater Manchester Police and other agencies in the area, and is delivered by Remedi – a specialist restorative justice charity providing a one-stop shop for all things restorative justice.

As part of this year’s Restorative Justice Week, victims of crime who have benefited from the service have met GM Deputy Mayor Bev Hughes, GMP and Remedi representatives.

During the meeting three victims of crime – Paula Robinson, Nick Ringland and Tony Wright – shared their experiences of how restorative justice worked for them.

Paula, who is attached to church, agreed to come face to face with the intruder who burgled the building and says it, “helped us all to process what happened and move on with our lives”.

Paramedic Nick was assaulted while dealing with an incident and says it “felt rewarding to meet the offender and hear his story – this helped me to understand what happened and why. It also gave me the opportunity to explain the knock-on effect of this kind of assault”.

Tony Wright was assaulted by a gang of youths in attempted robbery. Although sceptical at first he said: “The responses received during the meeting were sincere and a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I am so glad things have ended the way they have - we are all better off for the restorative justice experience.”

Ms Bev Hughes said: It’s great to hear that you all benefited from restorative justice, and that’s important to me as I need to know that the process works.

We know that when used in the right way, restorative justice can be very effective. It is a powerful process in which criminals face up to what they’ve done and gives victims the closure they need.”