Restorative Justice plays an important part within the new Derbyshire Victim Services in helping victims of crime cope and recover, Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Charles has said this week.
In a presentation at restorative services provider Remedi’s AGM, he talked about the role of Restorative Justice (RJ) and how it helps victims to achieve closure. Remedi has been providing RJ through Derbyshire Victim Services since July.
Commissioner Charles points out that: “The opportunity to tell the offender how they feel and take part in the justice process helps victims recover from their experiences. Victims have also found that RJ helps them to reduce their fear of crime in the future.
“The other benefit shown in research is that those offenders who gain a greater understanding of the impact of their crime are less likely to reoffend.”
On Monday (16 November), the Commissioner’s Deputy, Hardyal Dhindsa, joined a Restorative Justice Round Table discussion event hosted by Remedi as part of a campaign which aims to increase availability of RJ throughout the UK.
“What we want to see is access to Restorative Justice for every victim who wants it,” Mr Dhindsa said. “I would like to see greater awareness of the benefits it affords the victim and indeed the offender who, experience shows, is less likely to reoffend in the future.”
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Posted on Friday 20th November 2015