In 2013, a ‘local’ member of Rescare, a resident of Stockport, experienced serious problems with hate crime and anti-social behaviour directed at her adult, learning disabled, daughter. Dissatisfied with the initial response from the police, she pursued her case, writing directly to the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, and contacting the media, which led to her case being raised on local radio and television news. She achieved a degree of success, with her daughter receiving better support from the police, and ultimately written apologies from those who had been tormenting her.
Our member’s case brought to our attention the concept of Restorative Justice (which actually proved effective in her case), and the emphasis being placed on it at the highest level within the Ministry of Justice. Full details are on the Ministry of Justice website:
What is restorative justice?
Restorative justice is the process of bringing together those harmed by crime or conflict with those responsible for the harm, to find a positive way forward.
In criminal justice, restorative processes give victims the chance to:
tell offenders the real impact of their crime
get answers to their questions
get an apology
Restorative justice holds offenders to account for what they have done. It helps them understand the real impact, take responsibility, and make amends.
What role does the Ministry of Justice play?
We work with the Youth Justice Board, the National Offender Management Service, Police forces and other criminal justice agencies to enable greater victim awareness and to encourage use of restorative justice.
Who do we work with?
Restorative Justice Council – the Restorative Justice Council provides quality assurance and the national voice for the field of restorative practice.
Victim Support – the national charity giving free and confidential help to victims of crime, witnesses, their family, friends and anyone else affected across England and Wales.
As our member pursued her ‘complaint’, she belatedly became aware of a support scheme, which attempts to coordinate the efforts of local agencies. Details of the Safer Stockport Partnership are on its website : “The ‘Safer Stockport Partnership’ is a partnership of statutory and voluntary organisations that will focus on reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in Stockport”. From the little research we have done, there seems to be a countrywide trend towards such partnerships (perhaps because they improve coordination and ultimately reduce costs…). If you or the person you care for experience problems similar to those of our member, perhaps a good first step would be to check for a similar scheme/partnership in your area.