Placing Restorative Justice at the heart of the Criminal Justice System

Gary Stephenson, Executive Chairman of Restorative Solutions CIC

To mark Restorative Justice Week 2019, Gary Stephenson, Executive Chairman of Restorative Solutions CIC has issued a paper explaining to politicians and policy makers on all sides of the political spectrum, the benefits and value of Restorative Justice.

A right to request Restorative Justice is now a part of the victim's code and it is recognised by professionals across the Criminal Justice sector that Restorative Justice can be of huge benefit to victims, and offenders. The Criminal Justice system often drives a victim and an offender apart, and when it works well, RJ brings them together to allow explanations, and crucially, closure.

Focusing initially on victims, the paper lays out how RJ can drive victim satisfaction, improve victims' feelings about what has happened to them and improve victims' health outcomes. It also demonstrates that it can have a positive effect on re-offending outcomes, and that there are also positive financial implications to the Criminal Justice System when RJ is used. Finally, the impact of RJ on victims, offenders and the CJS is demonstrable and Gary sets out how and why politicians from all parties should understand the importance of RJ.

Gary said: "Here at Restorative Solutions we know that RJ is of benefit to society because we see the impact that it has every day, delivered by our network of RJ professionals across England and Wales. We would call on politicians from all parties to recognise the value and benefit of RJ to everyone to heal and reduce crime in our society."

The paper by Gary Stephenson is available to download here: