Positive start for restorative justice

The restorative justice programme is proving a successful method
of working with young offenders in Greater Manchester, according to
the charity the Youth Justice Trust (YJT).

The scheme, which has been running for a year, encourages young
people to look at how their actions have affected others,
encouraging them to apologise and try to make amends for what they
have done.

Most young people also carry out some form of payback to
compensate society.

Age Concern, bus companies and churches are among the
organisations with which young offenders have been working.

YJT’s Greater Manchester’s co-ordinator of restorative justice,
Andrew Bailey, said: “Young people have been shown to be more
remorseful and less likely to offend when on the programme.”

He added that research had also shown that victims appreciate
the scheme because it helps them come to terms with what has
happened to them.