When it was announced last month that more offenders will have to meet their victims and apologise before being sentenced under a rapid expansion of restorative justice, the justice minister Lord McNally told the Guardian that the coalition is "fully paid up to the rehabilitation revolution".
Restorative justice – bringing those harmed by crime, and those responsible for the harm, into communication – can lead to a drop of around 14% in reoffending rates recorded among perpetrators. Furthermore, victims report an 85% satisfaction rate, surveys by the Ministry of Justice have found.
Norfolk county council was the first local authority to use restorative approaches in social work, with children's services staff trained in 2004 following successes by the council's youth offending team. The county council has since formed a multi-agency partnership with Norfolk constabulary.
Restorative approaches can cover anything which places repairing harm done to relationships and people over the need for punishment.
Ahead of restorative justice week next week (November 18–25) our next online live discussion will look at different restorative approaches and best practice. What are the benefits of restorative approaches and what will the impact be in social work following a proposed national rollout of restorative justice?
Join us from noon until 2pm on Friday 16 November to discuss all this and more. The debate will take place in the comments section below this article – and you can leave your comments for our panel ahead of the debate. You can also tweet us your questions using the hashtag #GdnRJQA.
Panel includes
Chris Igoe is assistant director of the Restorative Justice Council
Sarah Morris is director of Why me?
Steve Jones is the director of Remedi – a voluntary sector restorative justice service and training provider based in south Yorkshire
Heather Bailey-Wright is the community justice team coordinator at Sheffield council
Ben Byrne is Surrey County Council's head of youth support services
Ray and Vi Donovan run the Chris Donovan Trust
Gill Eshelby works as head of service at County Durham youth offending service
Dr Belinda Hopkins is director of transforming conflict at the National Centre for Restorative Approaches in Youth Settings, and author of Just Care which explores the use of restorative approaches with young people in the looked after sector
Why not join our community? Becoming a member of the Guardian social care network means you get sent weekly email updates on policy and best practice in the sector, as well as exclusive offers. You can sign up – for free – online here.
