Have you ever been
a victim of crime?
Why now?
Why this? These are the questions we all ask when we become victims of crime.
The experience affects not just us, but our families and loved ones too.
Most of the time we never find out the answers to these questions, because
it’s only the offender who can answer them and we never get the chance to
ask.
was born
of one man’s story.
Will Riley, Chair of Why me was burgled and attacked in 2002 by Peter Woolf, a career criminal. They met two months later through a restorative justice conference in Pentonville Prison, an event that changed both their lives.
Will’s experience of meeting the person who attacked him meant he could move on from the trauma. Restorative justice puts victims right at the centre of the justice system. They get the opportunity to confront the offender and the offender is faced with the impact of their crime head on. Ministry of Justice research shows that 80% of victims benefit from restorative justice and that it cuts re-offending rates by up to 60% - the effect of restorative justice upon both victims and offenders is profound.
Peter Woolf, the man who burgled Will’s home, said:
"To realise you're responsible for another person's pain is more powerful than you can understand. I felt angry with myself. I felt ashamed. Once I felt like that, I knew nothing could be the same again."
was launched
in May 2008 by our patron Baroness Tessa Blackstone. It’s a unique organisation
led by victims of crime and its aim is for restorative justice to be available
to all victims who want it.
Why now?
Why this? These are the questions we all ask when we become victims of crime.
The experience affects not just us, but our families and loved ones too.
Most of the time we never find out the answers to these questions, because
it’s only the offender who can answer them and we never get the chance to
ask. was born
of one man’s story. Will Riley, Chair of Why me was burgled and attacked in 2002 by Peter Woolf, a career criminal. They met two months later through a restorative justice conference in Pentonville Prison, an event that changed both their lives.
Will’s experience of meeting the person who attacked him meant he could move on from the trauma. Restorative justice puts victims right at the centre of the justice system. They get the opportunity to confront the offender and the offender is faced with the impact of their crime head on. Ministry of Justice research shows that 80% of victims benefit from restorative justice and that it cuts re-offending rates by up to 60% - the effect of restorative justice upon both victims and offenders is profound.
Peter Woolf, the man who burgled Will’s home, said:
"To realise you're responsible for another person's pain is more powerful than you can understand. I felt angry with myself. I felt ashamed. Once I felt like that, I knew nothing could be the same again."
was launched
in May 2008 by our patron Baroness Tessa Blackstone. It’s a unique organisation
led by victims of crime and its aim is for restorative justice to be available
to all victims who want it. 
gives
victims who have experienced restorative justice the opportunity to tell
their stories, through print and broadcast media, as well as directly to
politicians and policy makers. We also highlight the benefits of restorative
justice through a range of creative means, including drama, film and art.
The absence of restorative justice in the criminal justice system highlights the lack of respect for the experience of victims and the lack of space for their voice to be heard. Confidence in the system is low. Many people, whether victims or not, feel marginalised, believing that the system is more about offenders than them. Why me is working with all victims who support our aims to find out from them how the criminal justice system can be improved.
We are building links with existing victim organisations and work in partnership with them to raise awareness of the benefits of restorative justice and campaign for better treatment of victims.
We have now recruited our first full-time Director, Sian West, who joins us after a lengthy career in the Prison Service. Read more about Sian on our News page.
If you share our vision please email us at info@why-me.org to be kept in touch. We will email you updates about Why Me and how you can get involved. We will never share your details with anyone else.
With the support of
