Restorative Justice Hub to be developed in Cheshire

John Dwyer said: “Being a victim of crime can be a traumatic experience, and far too often offenders don’t realise the detrimental effects their actions have on the day to day lives of victims. Restorative Justice puts the victim in control, enabling them to tell the offender how they feel, and the consequences of the offender’s actions. I think this is an important part of the recovery process for the victim, as it can provide an element of closure to the case as they’re able to hear from the horse’s mouth the motives behind the offender’s actions.”

As well as developing the hub, Victim Support will be delivering the services and training up volunteers to ensure that support is provided on a long term basis.

Andy Hall, divisional manager of Merseyside and Cheshire Victim Support said “We are very proud to be working with the police and crime commissioner’s team to set up the Cheshire Restorative Justice Hub. Restorative Justice is already active in many parts of the criminal justice service in Cheshire and the hub will bring together victims and offenders to help resolve the many issues that can be left outstanding after a crime. Ultimately Restorative Justice aims to reduce re-offending and reduce the long term damage caused by crime and bringing victims in to the process helps that happen.”

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