Guardian Charity Awards 2013 winner: Yorkshire and Humberside Circles of Support and Accountability
December 6, 2013
The charity, whose slogan is “no more victims”, was praised by the judges for its “phenomenal success” and innovation in one of the most unpopular areas of social welfare – all undertaken on a shoestring budget. With just two part-time members of staff, working...
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Tending deep wounds
December 2, 2013
Dimakatso arrived a half hour late for the first session with the hope of being turned away. She was angry and did not feel like participating in the STP. Even worse, the facilitator, Connie, was white. For Dimakatso, this was more than enough to avoid the programme. She grew up during South...
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Editorial: The best arena for victim redress?
December 2, 2013
Yet we may be able to take a page from the healing process of those victims who never report the crimes against them in order to speak to the needs of victims of crime in general. Perhaps then we could propose a more effective blend of supports and intersecting arenas for healing both from...
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Restorative justice pilot scheme to begin at 10 courts
December 2, 2013
The aim is to bring victims and offenders together to repair the harm caused by crime. Supporters say it helps victims move on from crime and reduces rates of reoffending. The process usually involves a face-to-face meeting between victim and offender, contact through a facilitator or...
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From death row to restorative justice
November 30, 2013
Rev. Cathy Harrington explained to me that whilst forgiveness is not something she can consider for the man who murdered her beloved 26 year-old-daughter, Leslie, in 2002, she has never supported capital punishment because to be involved in someone else’s murder would only create more...
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Brick attack boys come face-to-face with victim
November 26, 2013
The two boys were among three culprits to be given youth cautions earlier this year after the incident between 6.35pm and 7pm on Tuesday, June 11. In an emotionally charged meeting last Monday the boys apologised to the lorry driver who showed them photographs of the shattered windscreen of...
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Teenage Wigan victim of gang attack finds peace after meeting attackers in Restorative justice scheme
November 24, 2013
“We passed a group of young people who accused us of giving them dirty looks,†she said. “Before we knew it, the group had grabbed my friend by the hair and pulled her to the floor before turning on me.†She was left with injuries to her face, arm, legs and scalp as...
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Inmates pack more than 15,000 meals for hungry kids
November 24, 2013
“This is not just a way to pay back; it’s a way to make amends,†said Robert Peterson, 58, an inmate volunteer who is on the council. “Some of the victims have died, and some we can’t talk to. This is a way to pay it forward. “Since we can’t make...
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Actions and consequences: How restorative justice can help victims move on
November 22, 2013
As so many victims tell my charity when they come to us for support, the real impact is far more profound, and traumatic, than material loss. It’s waking up in the night at the slightest noise and wondering, is there someone downstairs? Or the feeling of dread in the stomach as they turn...
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Three Ways Capoeira Upped My Organizing Game
November 20, 2013
Our formula seemed strong: expose incriminating school district data in a forum that would also feature students and parents giving powerful testimony from their personal experience. But pretty quickly we discovered that we had no leverage. None of the school board members were willing...
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Restorative justice conferencing (RJC) using face-to-face meetings of offenders and victims: Effects on offender recidivism and victim satisfaction. A systematic review.
November 19, 2013
… The evidence of a relationship between conferencing and subsequent convictions or arrests over two years post-random assignment is clear and compelling, with nine out of 10 results in the predicted direction and a standardized mean difference for the ten experiments combined...
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The burglar who paid back
November 18, 2013
Although understandably nervous, Jason was keen to participate: “My personal resolve wasn’t enough to stop me from returning to prison last time. I knew I needed to fully engage my emotions by meeting my victims and I knew that hearing directly from them would be a powerful...
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A missing piece in the fight against bullying
November 18, 2013
Most states have adopted punishment as the primary tool for stopping bullying. In contrast, no state requires that schools utilize restorative justice in their efforts to reduce bullying. Restorative justice focuses on making victims whole and rehabilitating offenders through a reconciliation...
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Young offenders raise money for victims through Knowle allotment
November 16, 2013
Under-18s who have committed a crime often undertake reparation work to make amends for the harm they have caused to an individual or community, usually at the request of the victim. One of those activities has involved people under the supervision of the Youth Offending Team (YOT) –...
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Becoming someone
November 13, 2013
I thought about this recently when I read a report from Prison Fellowship Liberia describing the visit of medical professionals from the organisation Humedica International. The doctors and one nurse provided medical care to prisoners and prison officers in six different facilities over a two...
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