What is restorative justice?

Restorative justice gives victims the chance to communicate with their offender. It can involve the victim meeting the offender face to face in a safe, controlled environment, if that’s what they want to do.

Sometimes, when a face to face meeting isn’t the best way forward, the victim and offender will communicate via letters, recorded interviews or video instead.

If you choose to take part, the process will be managed by a trained expert who will support you, answer any questions that you have, and ensure that the process is safe and meets your needs. It’s a free service and completely confidential.

How can restorative justice help?

Becoming a victim can leave you feeling scared, anxious or angry, and restorative justice gives you a chance to explain the real impact of the crime. It’s an opportunity to get anything that you want to say off your chest and to ask the offender any questions that you have.

For many victims meeting the person who has harmed them can be a huge step in moving forward and recovering from the crime.

Restorative justice also holds offenders to account for what they have done and helps them to take responsibility and make amends. It helps to reduce re-offending, meaning fewer victims of crime in the future.

Who can take part?

Restorative justice can take place after any type of crime, including any hate crime. It doesn’t matter whether the crime was recent or took place a long time ago. All that matters is that both you and the offender are willing to take part and that the offender admits their guilt. If you’re not sure whether your case is suitable, please get in touch and we’ll see what we can do.

See how Restorative Justice has helped victims of
hate crime