Victim Support: The SORI Programme and Restorative Justice

…The Supporting Offenders Through Restoration Inside programme (SORI),
which we deliver in partnership with Cardiff Prison, uses some of these
approaches (including presentation afternoons). Here, offenders meet
with victims and members of the wider community, explain their actions
and make a public apology.

A recent survey of victims taking part
in the presentation afternoons found that 95% wanted to raise offender
awareness of the impact of crime while 89% wanted to help offenders to
try and repair some of the harm that they had caused.

Elsewhere,
an analysis of direct restorative justice meetings between victims and
offenders found that 85% of victims found them useful.

… By extending the scope of restorative justice on this scale, our
analysis of the Ministry of Justice research suggests that the
Government could cut reconviction rates by 27% and save £185 million in
policing, prison, legal aid and NHS treatment costs.

So not only
would extending the scope of restorative justice be good for victims,
but it would also benefit the taxpayer and offenders, too.

As an
organisation that offers help to 1.5 million victims every year, we know
that they want an explanation, an apology and for offenders to stop
offending.

Restorative justice can play an important part in
delivering those desires, and we very much hope the interest expressed
by ministers is translated into reality. 

Read the full article.