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Why me? victim ambassadors, including  Laura Stonehouse, Ray and Vi Donovan and Pat and Dave Rogers spoke to small groups of guests about the way in which meeting the offender in a restorative  justice meeting had changed their lives. Several guests were moved to tears and the resolve to make restorative justice accessible to all victims of crime was renewed.

The guest list included:

Peter Woolf, Will Riley, Sir Charles Pollard, Ruth Purdie and Ellie Acton (Cheshire Police), John Bennett and Vicky O’Day (Serco), Crispin Blunt MP (Minister for Prisons and Youth Justice), Rob Flello MP (Shadow Justice Minister), Theo Gavrielides and Ben Lyon (IARS), Gaynor Mckweon and Maralynn Smith, Victim Support, Baroness Veronica Linklater, Adrian Matthews and Pauline Prior (Sussex Pathways), Lawrence Kershen, Chris Igoe and Lizzie Nelson (RJC), ACC Garry Shewan (Greater Manchester Police)
There were also representatives from

• Prison Fellowship
• HMP Leeds
• HMP Bronzefield
• Restorative Solutions
• Kent Police
• Kent Youth Offending Service
• The Forgiveness Project
• National Offender Management Service
• Sycamore Tree
• Word 4 Weapons
• Newham Council

pictures taken by Jamie Farrell

Pat and Dave Rogers

On 3rd May 2012, Every Action has its Consequences is launching an education pack. It is aimed at young people who could take quick and thoughtless action as a result of drinks, drugs or bravado.

Dave and Pat Rogers’ son, Adam, was killed on 5th July 2009 in Blackburn. He was punched while trying to make peace with another group of young people. This senseless act has prompted this educational campaign for young people.

EAHConsequences Education Pack

Contact Why me? for more information about restorative justice.

Ray and Vi Donovan were talking to PRA on the Face-to-face programme. You can read their and other victims’ stories in our case studies.

ITV This Morning interviewed Peter and Will on 27th March 2012.

Lord Woolf argued eloquently alongside Lords Ramsbottom (former Chief Inspector of Prisons), Beecham and Dholakia, for this important change, but agreed to withdraw the amendment in the face of defeat and with the promise of a meeting with Baroness Northover for the Government.

These amendments take a three-pronged approach to adding restorative justice to the current legislation.

1. The first would make restorative justice a statutory purpose of sentencing alongside the existing purposes of punishment, reduction of crime, rehabilitation, protection of the public and making reparation to offenders, as set out in the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
2. The second would create a new restorative justice requirement for a community order or suspended sentence order,
3. While the third would add the words “restorative justice” to the existing activity requirement.

Although not successful this time, the issue has been raised and the ground laid for future legislative change. The debate can be found in Hansard, beginning at Column 815.

Local commissioning

Great concern expressed by Victim Support about victims’ services being made local. Echoed by Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis. Why me? also concerned that restorative justice programmes will be even more patchy as a result of local commissioning.

Timeframe

• November 2012 Police Commissioners elected
• 2013 Tenders for victims’ services released
• April 2014 First locally commissioned victims’ services go live

Resources do not equal Rhetoric

We pointed out that the practical support and resources for restorative justice are not available to support victims despite the positive rhetoric. The Minister agreed!

Action

We will be making our submission and urge you to make a submission too!

• Two remarkable men of courage and sense. Good luck to both of them for a long and happy friendship. – Arturo, Loughborough, 20/3/2012 12:02
• Will is an amazing person. I hope I could be so constructive if this happened to me (although I’m not sure I could). Well done both of you. – Mary, London, 20/3/2012 11:27
• Wow what an inspiring story, I wish there were more people around with an open mind and a forgiving heart like Will. Good on you Peter, I don’t know you but for some reason feel really proud of you! – katherine, here, 20/3/2012 3:12
• Peter, you probably already know that you’re going to get lots of comments putting you down and moralising generally, but before they let the baying hounds in, I just want to say, well done mate. Turning your life around like that is hard work and takes a lot of guts, so good for you. Will sounds like a decent bloke too, not everyone knows that having a stable upbringing is a privilege too. – Stella, Herts, 20/3/2012 1:50
• Wow. Restorative Justice is brilliant. It is something I have always advocated, so to see it in action now, and with such a great outcome, is immense. What an enjoyable story. – Louise, County Down, 20/3/2012 5:32
• What a positive report. I’ve always wondered why it is that the greater percentage of the population, who are good, get over-ridden but the tiny percent who are bad. Apathy and a sense of ‘why bother trying to do anything about it’ makes us all responsible for the problems in our society. It’s fantastic that Peter has turned his life around but Will’s pro-active role in this cannot be under-estimated. Would that we all took on a problem person and got a result. – Radant Wood, Dawlish, Devon, 20/3/2012 7:04
• This gives me hope. RJ clearly worked for them and it should be tried wherever possible. If it takes more criminals off the streets and turns them into decent human beings then that can only be a good thing. And by the way Rob, Left for a better place down under – didn’t you read the article. Peter didn’t make money out of his book – all the proceeds went to charity including the one started by his victim Will. – J E, Kent, 20/3/2012 7:50
• Being the victim of crime can leave you feeling bitter and angry for a very long time (see Chikin Shed comment). So anything that helps the victim of crime has got to be a good thing. The fact that in some cases it helps the perpetrator too is an added bonus. I wished RJ had been around for me when my (at that time) boss and friend stole all my jewellery! I was left feeling mistrustful and full of hatred after my insurance company refused to pay out on a crime of deception. I fell into a distractive cycle of drinking and aggressiveness that may have been quelled by just knowing why and that he was sorry. Good on you Will for refusing to be a victim and going on to do so much good with helping Peter and others. Peter well done for turning your life around and trying to get others to do the same. – Skyrah, Bournemouth, England, 20/3/2012 8:46
• I have to admit that I was very ‘no, no, NO’ when I began reading this article, the idea of physical ‘dealing’ with a burglar appeals to me than being mates with him. I have to admit though… my view is slightly turned after reading it through. It’s so pleasing to read how Peter turned his life around and leading a better life although I do agree – as the article says – there are some people who just are not interesting in changing, probably lazily thinking that it’s too hard or can’t be bothered, especially those who commit assault or sex crimes. Well done Peter, keep spreading the word. – mysslo, London, UK, 20/3/2012 9:07

March 2002 – ten years ago, Peter Woolf burgled Will Riley’s house – one of many in a lifetime of crime. Read the story in the Daily Mail on Tuesday 20th March 2012.

Will Riley physically fought Peter and felt extremely angry about the violation of his house and threat to his and his family’s safety.

They met in a life-changing Restorative Justice meeting.  Peter then turned round his life and a friendship with Will was forged. For more details about their their amazing story read 10 years since the crime.

• Support the campaign – Restorative Justice – pass it on!

Ray and Vi Donovan talked to Victim Support Managers for Sussex and Surrey on Tuesday 6th March. They talked about the Restorative Justice meeting with one of the young men who attacked and killed their son Chris. They talked about the freedom this meeting brought them and the hard journey to get to that meeting.

The consensus in the room was to spread the word about Restorative Justice to victims of crime – to give them and their families and friends the opportunities to consider it as an option.

You can find out more about the work which Ray and Vi undertake on the Chris Donovan Trust website.