Catherine Burridge (left) and Debbie Cockroft (Restorative Practioners and Co-Directors)
Inside Out RJ is a new and innovative restorative project based in HMP Bristol. It is an independent, neutral and confidential free service.
Using the principles of traditional Restorative Justice, practitioners support prisoners to acknowledge that their offending behaviour and lifestyle, and their imprisonment, can have a detrimental impact on the people they care about. Often where the relationship has completely broken down.
Following an intital assessment, and where appropriate, Inside Out reaches out to the other party in the community and uses restorative practice to address those damaged relationships.
By acknowledging and hearing about the harm caused to their families and significant others, with support, the men in prison can try and repair that harm and thus strengthen those important relationships.