SalfordOnline
Your local community website
   Record number of Restorative Justice cases
More than 600 crimes in Greater Manchester have been dealt with by Restorative Justice in the past month, which is a record number for Greater Manchester Police. Restorative Justice is a process which makes offenders directly accountable to victims of crimes such as criminal damage, minor assaults and shoplifting. The victim can decide whether the offender should be arrested and charged traditionally, or they can alternatively suggest a way in which the offender can make matters right. Examples have included vandals cleaning up graffiti, written apologies, compensation and even visits to police cells to show how harsh life behind bars is. In the last year there have been 4,348 Restorative Justice disposals in Greater Manchester. In a recent GMP survey, 85 percent of people who had used Restorative Justice were satisfied, and a further 11 percent very satisfied with the service they received. Ministry of Justice research also shows that Restorative Justice reduces reoffending by 14 percent. Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said: “It shows that not only are officers really grasping how to use RJ, but that more and more victims of crime are realising what a positive impact it can have.” The Force is also looking at offenders involved in the summer disorder who have already been jailed to see if they would be prepared to meet with the shopkeeper's whose livelihoods they threatened while still in prison, so they can hear how their actions personally affected their victims.
Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
