Restorative Justice for Hate Crime
Most victims of hate crime are not getting access to Restorative Justice. That needs to change. Victims of hate should be able to make an informed choice about their recovery, and decide for themselves if Restorative Justice is appropriate for them.
Over the course of this project, Why me? are working to improve access to Restorative Justice for victims of hate. We have worked in partnership with three police areas: Lancashire, Cambridgeshire and Avon & Somerset, aiming to increase the use of Restorative Justice for hate crime, and to understand the barriers which are preventing this.
Following two years of research and partnership working, we have produced two papers on the use of Restorative Justice and hate crime.
Making Restorative Justice happen for hate crime in your police area gives recommendations to restorative providers, police, victim staff and Police and Crime Commissioners about how to increase the use of Restorative Justice for hate crime in their police area.
Making Restorative Justice happen for hate crime across the country gives recommendations to national policy makers – including the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and Crown Prosecution Service – about how to ensure that victims of hate across England and Wales are offered Restorative Justice.
While many victims of hate crime are never offered Restorative Justice, there are cases of good practice in police forces across the country. The work of Restorative Cleveland is one example.
Why hate crime?
Hate crime is on the rise. Over 103,000 hate crimes were recorded by police in England and Wales in 2018/19, a 10% increase on the previous year. Hate crime victims also feel more traumatized by the incident, and are less likely to be satisfied with police handling of their case.
Restorative Justice has the potential to break down barriers between victims of hate crime and perpetrators, and could have a significant benefit to both parties. Despite this, those affected by hate crime are less likely to be given the option of Restorative Justice than victims of other crimes. This project seeks to change that.
Video
Click here for a short video on YouTube.
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