Victim Support will be taking part in Restorative Justice Week from 15-22 November 2015 to raise awareness of restorative justice and how it can support victims of crime.

Restorative justice is a voluntary process that gives victims the opportunity to meet their offender with a mediator present to ask questions or talk about how the crime has affected them. It gives victims the chance to have their say, seek an apology, hold the offender to account and can help them to move forward with their lives. Research has also shown that restorative justice can reduce the frequency of reoffending by 14%.

Victim Support delivers local restorative justice services across England and Wales and our local teams will be raising awareness of restorative justice throughout the week with events and activities, including RJ surgeries and conferences. To find out if there are any restorative justice events in your area, get in touch with your nearest Victim Support team.

A key part of Restorative Justice Week will be the Ministry of Justice’s “I’ve got something to say” campaign, which aims to highlight how restorative justice can empower victims and give them a voice. You can follow the campaign on Facebook to keep up with activities and updates.

You can also follow updates throughout Restorative Justice Week using the hashtags #RestorativeJustice and #RJweek2015 on Twitter.