The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, has awarded a new contract to continue to support victims and reduce reoffending.
Restorative Solutions has been running the service across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight for the last 5 years. The Police and Crime Commissioner re-tendered the service for another 3-year term, with the option to extend for a further 2 years, and the new contract with Restorative Solutions will start on 1st April 2023.
Restorative Justice (RJ) gives victims the opportunity to communicate with the person responsible for the crime, and allows victims to be heard. Evidence shows that 85% of victims who participate in Restorative Justice are happy with the process which also reduces reoffending by 14%. Both victims and offenders can initiate the service, which is completely free.
Donna Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner, said:
“Many people feel their lives have been turned upside down when they have become a victim of crime, and Restorative Justice helps them feel in control, get answers to questions they may have, helping them move forward and feel less fearful of crime in the future.”
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has one of the most inclusive Restorative Justice services in the UK. Offences of any nature are accepted as long as the victim or offender lives in Hampshire or on the Isle of Wight, or the offence was committed in either of the 2 counties. There is no time limit for people wishing to access the service, victims have engaged with Restorative Justice years after the offence was committed.
Funding for the contract is £435,000 per year with the Police and Crime Commissioner providing £325,000 from the Ministry of Justice Victims Services Grant and a further £50,000 set aside to tackle offender initiated Restorative Justice and to provide mediation for neighbourhood dispute cases which result in repeated police call outs. Another £60,000 is from South Central Probation to provide support to Probation Practitioners and to engage those serving custodial and community sentences as part of their rehabilitation plans.
Donna Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner, added:
“I am delighted to award Restorative Solutions a new contract so the Restorative Justice service can continue to empower individuals and be accessible to every victim of crime and anti-social behaviour irrespective of individual circumstances.
“Improving outcomes for victims is one of the priorities in my Police and Crime Plan, and I am committed to ensuring that all victims are given the opportunity to benefit from Restorative Justice.”
Kate Hook, Director of Restorative Solutions, said:
“Victims will continue to be provided with the opportunity to communicate with those who have caused them harm, holding offenders to account for what they have done by helping them to understand the real impact of their behaviour.
“We will build on our existing relationships with referral partners across the area, including Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, the Probation Service and Prisons, Community Safety Partnerships and mediation providers to ensure our service is both safe and effective for victims, offenders and the wider community.”
Pathetic. What people want is less imported criminals, those already here to be locked up for meaningful sentences, and repeat offenders locked away for life.
As it is, the UK has allowed in vast amounts of unchecked newcomers, many of whom crime was, is, and always will be ‘a way of easy life’ for them, and by moving to a country where punishment is weak, if at all, only encourages them to behave worse, despite being given everything for free here.
Any decent person acts on best behaviour in others homes or countries, but these don’t. Seeing kindness as weakness to be exploited to the max, which they do.
So as are jails are filled, less room for our own growing crims to be given meaningful sentences ever again.
And what does this have to do with restorative justice? Gone off point again have you?
What a useless great cretin this woman really is.
Should be working in a pre-school, NOT insulting adults with her flawed thoughts of the victim having a false apology from some low life trash, that, is only doing so the get a lesser punishment.
This is the sort of thing they get ‘toddlers’ to do, say, if taking a toy away from another child, not some poor victim of attempted rape as the lady in St Lawrence at the hands of a very non local has suffered.
The truth is our jails are so full of the worlds trash, that now, all the authorities can do is mop up the victims of blood, semen, etc and then get a councillor to try to repair their broken minds, whilst the criminal is soon free to do the same.
Absolute disgrace.
Not meaning to be a Killjoy, but re-offending reduced by 14% is not exactly a dramatic reduction is it?
Donna- you are screwing the Council Tax Payers with your inflated Police ‘Precept’, and yet crow about this!
IF it were nearer to a 50% reduction I would be prepared to consider the expenditure worthwhile, but…!
I personally have no time for Police
On the Island they allow people to park vehicles on pavements causing an obstruction
to other motorists and pedestrians.
IW Council = Zero Health and Safety
There are flights to S.A daily from the UK. Sounds like you might be happier there, anyway doubtful as that is, your neighbours certainly would be.
And I could park my van and my disabled daughter could visit me without constant moaning from a driveless tenant bitter and ugly inside and out.
Why is there always a Yellow Vauxhall Corsa HJ62ZPV
parked on the pavement outside the Council Houses along Great Preston Road
Do the Tenants at no. 90 think they own the Pavement?
so frustrating that 1 Household can bring a complete Road to a standstill
Where is the District Steward of Ryde, does he not drive down
Great Preston Road to see how idiots park!
Pavements where I come from are for pedestrians not Idiots parking a vehicle
Totally agree ,, had scaffolding put up around my house last year and there needed to be 6 poles on the pavement ,just about on the pavement cost a arm and a leg , but cars vans etc etc can park on pavements causing much more havoc and safety issues for free where’s the justice , simple there is none
Sadly on the Island Steph there is no Law and Order
People do what they want.
IW Council are Useless
District Stewards are Useless
Island Roads are Useless
The Island is run by persons who have no idea about Road Safety,
hence allowing vehicles to park on pavements 24/7
I despise paying Council Tax for a Poor Service.
TOW Companies are the answer to remove vehicles who park on pavements
That is because of our over zealous ‘race’ rules in the UK.
Poles are entitled to full rights under UK law to be allowed to stand on the pavement outside your home. Think yourself lucky not those from warmer climes as then you likely would have something to worry about.
Not if persons are blocking a public highway
Read the Highway code
If they let the victims meet the criminals and let them give them a right good kicking it might be more worthwhile.
I’m working with Donna on this. We’re doing all we can to ensure that we don’t have to break into a sweat on this by actually doing something ourselves.
Maybe get some pigs that can do a job first
I had ask your mum to do better
Another gimmick. The only thing criminals understand or fear is severe custodial sentencing. This will probably encourage them. Lock them up, make them work hard. Oh no, we can’t do that because our grossly underfunded prison service can’t cope. Keep voting conservative = things getting a whole bunch worse for decent people.