Offenders to face their victims

The Guardian (London), July 23, 2003, Guardian Home Pages, Pg. 6

Thousands of offenders are to be brought face to face with their victims and the consequences of their crimes under "restorative justice" proposals announced by the home secretary, David Blunkett, yesterday.



The innovative scheme could mean offenders avoiding a court prosecution if they are prepared to admit their crime and apologise and make reparation to their victim. The new sanction is to form part of a police cautioning scheme contained in the criminal justice bill working its way through parliament.



The decision to include restorative justice measures within the bill marks a victory for liberal criminal justice campaigners who have fought for more than 10 years to secure their adoption.



Restorative justice schemes have been pioneered in Britain by the Thames Valley police and so far have mainly been used for young offenders.



The Home Office intends to launch a pilot scheme this year involving adult offenders, school bullies and those involved in anti-social behaviour.



Mr Blunkett described restorative justice yesterday as an "innovative and constructive community-based response to crime" and said more than 75% of victims who had chosen to take part in pilot schemes had said they were glad they had.



"Restorative justice means victims can get an apology from their offender, but it is more than 'saying sorry' - it provides the victim with an explanation as to why the crime was committed.



"That is something a prison sentence on its own can never do."



The Home Office admits that the research evidence so far is mixed on the ability of restorative justice schemes to cut reoffending rates, and results suggest it meets victims' needs more than those of the offender.



Only offences in which there is an identifiable personal victim can be covered by the scheme, which requires the consent of victim and offender. The crown prosecution service will decide whether an offender should be prosecuted in court or cautioned and allowed to take part in a restorative justice scheme.



Paul Cavadino of Nacro, the crime reduction charity, backed the scheme and said restorative justice could have a powerful effect on many offenders, making them face up to the damage and distress that their actions had caused.



The restorative justice scheme was published yesterday alongside a Home Office strategy statement for victims and witnesses, which reaffirmed Mr Blunkett's intention to introduce legislation to set up a victims' commissioner and a new way of funding victim and witness groups.



Victim Support welcomed the new strategy, saying it would make it easier for intimidated witnesses and victims to get help moving house when needed. It also promised improvements to mental health services for child and adolescent victims and witnesses.

Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2003 Permalink

BT Home monitoring
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Hypertagging
The real-world equivalent of hyperlinks, the small battery-powered electronic tags use infrared signals to send Web links to mobile phones. Developed by the Cambridge, U.K.-based company Hypertag, these smart tags can be discreetly attached to any information display surface, such as advertising panels, billboards or walls, enabling any mobile-phone user with an infrared port or Bluetooth to access digital content by downloading a small software application.
From Smart Mobs via Protein

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Working life crushes creativity

Older workers are at their most creative in the morning
More flexible working hours could unleash the creativity of Britain's workers.

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The war on crime: at the frontline
Insightful Guardian article into the complexity of policing.

· 97% of crimes are never brought to book 1% of the population suffer 59% of all violent crime 2% of the population suffer 41% of all property crime 58% of prisoners are convicted again within two years of being released 41% of fines are never paid.


Posted Thursday, July 10, 2003 Permalink

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