Conference Explores Creating Restorative Localities

In the plenary session Hull – Towards a Restorative City, Mark Finnis described the work of the Hull Centre for Restorative Practices in creating a “restorative city” where “everyone working with children, young people, and families employ restorative practices as the philosophy that underpins practice.” He described the project’s challenges, framework, and key outcomes. Finnis also provides a list of recommendations for other localities looking to become restorative.

In her plenary presentation, SORI Project: Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside, Julia Houlston-Clark described how inter-agency partnerships enabled the growth of the SORI restorative justice programme in HMP Cardiff and six other prisons. SORI includes several restorative processes such as victim awareness programmes, victim –offender groups, direct mediation, and one domestic violence pilot.

Four workshops explored how different groups are working together in Oxfordshire, County Durham, Norfolk, and Lancashire to introduce restorative justice in various ways. Each workshop provided information on the locality’s

• Vision of a restorative local authority
• Brief History including what it means to become a restorative county in practice
• Useful opportunities that have moved the initiatives a long
• Challenges and recommendations

Conference presentations and notes are available on the Restorative Justice Consortium’s website.