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First restorative justice conference following the August Riots

This week the first restorative justice conference to take place in London following the August Riots was held in Lambeth. The meeting, organised by Lambeth Youth Offending Service and Lambeth Met Police, follows calls for a restorative justice response to the riots from the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

A fifteen year old, who was convicted of violent disorder, met with the owners of local businesses, where he was told how they had been affected. Roy, manager of Kentucky Fried Chicken in Brixton, described the satisfaction he felt in seeing the young person face up to the consequences of his actions.

Roy said: “I was willing to speak to the young man to tell him how the attack on KFC Brixton made me and my staff feel. Judging by his reaction a lot of good has come from this - for both of us.”

“As the meeting progressed I found myself becoming more and more proud of the young person for facing up to his actions. Toward the end he apologised and said he had been foolish and I could tell he was being genuine. We both got a lot out of meeting with one another and we have agreed to meet up again - possibly at KFC Brixton for another chat."

“What happened that night in Brixton was really unpleasant - the team were frightened and one of my colleagues was injured. The store was also damaged and tills taken. But meeting one of the young people involved that night has had a positive effect on us all. It’s given him a better understanding of the stresses that were caused to victims and the implications.”

RJC Director, Lizzie Nelson, commented “Restorative justice will give the victims of the riots the chance to confront the rioters with the real harm caused that night. The research shows restorative justice meets the needs of victims and prevents re-offending. Every victim of the riots should have the right to meet the offender if they want todo this.”

The results of an ICM telephone poll of 1,000 members of the public show overwhelming public support for giving victims the chance to inform offenders of the harm they have caused and a say in how the offender can best make amends. The survey was conducted one month after the August Riots and was published by the Prison Reform Trust.

Ministry of Justice research into restorative justice with serious offences such as violent crime and burglary showed that high quality restorative justice reduced reoffending by 27% and for every pound spent on providing restorative justice nine pounds are saved in reduced crime for the criminal justice system.

 
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17th Nov 2011

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