Secure Estates

Restorative interventions can be offered to victims of offenders held in custody or alternatively can be applied within the secure estate as part of the whole prison philosophy.

Victims meeting their offenders in the establishment:

The project is about bringing together victims of a crime and their offenders in order to establish:

  • What happened
  • Who was harmed
  • Reach agreement about what can be done to make things better

In order to achieve this a number of partners come together including the police , prison, probation and victim services in order to work with the victim and the offender.

Trained facilitators who are RJ practitioners facilitate direct face to face meetings between victims and offenders, the conference can include families and/or supporters including agency caseworkers and members of the community, all parties must agree to take part.

A face to face conference enables offenders to understand the harm they have caused and academic studies have proved that a restorative conference reduces reoffending and the severity of offending. It also gives victims a voice and the opportunity to get answers to their questions, peace of mind and increased confidence and satisfaction with the criminal justice system. All parties are empowered to deal with the conflict and to move on in a positive manner repairing the harm caused.

Within the establishment:

Staff are trained in restorative practice which they can use for minor ever day incidents, de-escalation of situations, in administering IEP warnings, for use as part of the violence reduction strategy to tackle bullying or deal with more serious harm such as assault. By empowering the harmed and harmer to have a safe, facilitated conversation about the harm caused and how to make things better, a mutual understanding can be fostered and offenders learn to take responsibility for their behaviour. You are empowering individuals to resolve their conflict, skills that can be used in many situations in everyday life. Rather than telling offenders what they have done wrong and what they need to do as punishment or to put it right, offenders recognise this themselves and come to their own conclusions during a facilitated conversation.

Case Study

Offender A

“A” burgled the home of the Mayor and his partner whilst they slept. He broke into a window downstairs, and searched the house. He then entered the bedroom, which woke the residents. Burglar “A” ran off with a camera and laptop with the female resident chasing him down the street. Before the conference she said she still feels shocked at what happened. She still has the feeling that somebody is in the house now. She stated that she has never felt angry. She is sad. She wishes she didn’t feel scared in her own home. She informed me that every time she hears a noise she thinks of the burglary. Every time she goes to bed she thinks where her ring is, where the computer is and other possessions. It is what she thinks about every night.

“A” said that until hearing about the victims and how they felt, he had never thought about them. He said he just sat in his cell, went to work and got on with his time. After reading how bad they felt in the newspaper, he began to think about what he had done. He said that he feels ashamed of what he has done. He stated that he wants to start from the beginning again. He said that he wanted to be able to say sorry for what he had done, and try and help them feel better.

Following the face to face meeting the harmed reported that he had felt certain trepidation prior to meeting the offender. The initial part of the contact was slightly tense for him. As the talking progressed there was a recognition that it would be good if both parties continued to talk. She said she was nervous about meeting the man who had broken into their house and had caused her so much distress. However she felt that by expressing her anguish to him she had made an impression on him what it must have felt like, being vulnerable in her position. She said she could sleep again now.

“A” said

‘it made me realise the impact I had on them and other victims. I now realise the damage my actions have caused and the anxiety and depression that I have put people through. I am truly sorry for the damage I have caused. Meeting them has given me the incentive to move forward and to remain drug free. I would like to keep in contact with them so I can keep them updated on my progress as they requested and I would like to hear from them if they would like to write to me.’

All parties involved agreed that the meeting had been a great success. It had helped the individuals involved to express their feelings and to move forward from the event. It allowed them to deal with their hurt and anger.

Offender B

“B” burgled a youth club on two separate occasions. The youth club leader agreed to meet them to tell them the impact the burglary had had on the children who attend and to ask some questions. The youth leader also wanted to tell them that if he really wants help, they will try and help them. They said that if he is serious about it they will offer extra support.

The meeting was successful. “B” answered their questions and spoke openly about his life. An outcome agreement was made between “B” and the youth leader:

  • To meet in May to discuss specifics of doing some gardening for the Youth Club.
  • To go to the job centre on release and keep PPO team informed.
  • To work with PPO to sort out accommodation. Does not want to return to XXXX to live.
  • To talk to Offender Manager about activities football etc.
  • To address drug habit.
  • To write to the Youth Leader to let him know how he is getting on.

In the satisfaction survey, the Youth Leader said that they would participate again if they were a victim again and advise others to participate. They stated ‘The experience was really good… the whole meeting was very relaxed and pleasant. I think Restorative Intervention is an excellent project’.