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A crucial element of our approach lies with the prisoner being able to take responsibility for their actions and acknowledge that their behaviour has caused harm to people they care about. This part of process can take time and we take care to support the prisoner to manage feelings of remorse or shame. We also carefully manage their expectations.
Once it is established that the prisoner accepts responsibility, we reach out to the other party and ask them whether they would find our service helpful. If the other party wishes to participate, we meet with them to get a deeper understanding of how they could benefit from a restorative process.
A fundamental part of a restorative conversation is an opportunity for the harmed party to talk about how they have been impacted which can be very difficult to hear. We carefully assess the risks and benefits to both parties throughout the process.
If the other party is willing to proceed, we carry out a number of separate meetings with both parties to ensure that they are fully prepared and comfortable with what could be an emotionally difficult conversation.
The restorative process concludes with a constructive discussion around how the harm can be repaired and how both parties can find a way forwards in terms of their relationship.
If appropriate, we bring the parties together for a facilitated face to face meeting in the prison. Alternatively we support the exchange of restorative letters or reach a conclusion through shuttle mediation.
Occasionally, the other party does not wish to engage with our service so we support the prisoner with some individual work to promote restorative thinking.
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