INTRODUCING MAKE AMENDS AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE Make Amends is the Office for Police & Crime Commissioners (OPCC) commissioned service for Devon and Cornwall. Working in partnership with Shekinah, Make Amends delivers Restorative Justice across this area. The service provides support to people who have been affected by crime, conflict, anti-social behaviour or harm caused by the actions of others. Restorative Justice creates opportunities for people who have been harmed to come together into communication with those who are responsible for that harm, in order to get answers to their questions and to explain the effect the incident has had on them. It gives those who accept responsibility for the harm, an insight into the real impact their actions have had on the person affected, their friends and family or the community. The process aims to help everyone move on. WHAT IS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE? Restorative justice is a safe and voluntary process which brings those who have been affected by crime into communication with those responsible to help everyone move forward from what has happened. Restorative justice focuses on the needs of both the victim and the offender, allowing both to explore what has happened, the impact that the incident has had on them and what everyone needs to move forward. Restorative justice gives victims of crime a voice in the process. This is achieved by giving people affected by crime the opportunity to communicate the impact that the crime or incident has had on them, their family and the community directly with the person responsible. Restorative justice also offers victims of crime the opportunity to have their questions answered. Meeting or communicating with an offender or person who has caused harm might feel like a huge step for those affected, but it can help victims to cope and recover from crime. Government research shows that 85% of victims who take part in RJ found the experience useful and were satisfied with the outcome. Restorative justice also holds offenders to account for what they have done and ensures they take responsibility for their actions. The experience can be incredibly challenging but powerful for those responsible for causing harm as they hear about the impact that their actions have had on others. This helps them in their journey towards rehabilitation and can reduce their chances of reoffending. Government research shows that RJ can reduce reoffending by 14 – 21%. Listen to Jayne’s experience of restorative justice: IMPACT REPORT 2021 Our latest Impact Report provides a summary of delivering restorative justice from October 2017 and April 2021. Please do download our report to read more from our stakeholders, our key service outcomes, case studies, volunteer stories, partner testimonials and hopes for the future. Download Impact ReportDOWNLOAD RECENT CASE STUDIES Restorative Justice Case Study of Robbery At Knifepoint Restorative Justice Testimonial Following Assault of A PC DOWNLOAD OUR LEAFLETSFind out more about how Restorative Justice works and its benefits by downloading our service leaflets: Make Amends General Information LeafletMake Amends Information for VictimsMake Amends Information for Offenders OUR TEAM We are privileged to have an experienced and passionate team working across a range of Restorative Justice cases and specialisms. Click through below to read more about our team. Meet the team OUR RESTORATIVE JUSTICE TRAINING We provide training in Restorative Approaches at all levels and are experienced in designing bespoke courses tailored to your specific requirements. Our courses offer opportunities for both ‘experiential’ and ‘participative’ learning which build on developing the learner’s knowledge and skill development. We are skilled at adapting training to support different learning needs. The application of restorative approaches is expanding beyond the realm of criminal justice settings and our courses offer learners the opportunity to practice restorative interventions in both formal and informal settings including schools, community groups, the workplace, and statutory services. In addition, our training courses also offer opportunities for continual professional development. We offer independent consultancy advice and case supervision. Download our training menu If you are interested in any of our training courses, or looking for bespoke training, please do contact us at [email protected] or call 01802 222033. BECOME A MAKE AMENDS VOLUNTEER Volunteers at Make Amends provide a pivotal role in enabling people to move on from crime. They work alongside paid members of staff to provide an essential link between the people and communities affected by crime and those responsible for the harm caused. Volunteer practitioners are required to be good listeners, be non-judgmental and be impartial because much of their time is spent listening to people talk about what happened and what they need to move on. Most work is completed in the community, with volunteers attending home visits with another practitioner to meet people affected by crime and those responsible. Some meetings also take place in the prison. To find out more about the process of applying to become a volunteer and the training involved, download our volunteer leaflet: Make Amends Volunteer Leaflet OUR PARTNERSWe work with a large number of partners across Devon and Cornwall. Learn more by watching videos from some of our partners about their involvement in restorative justice by clicking through on the title above. Find out more about our partners.READ OUR LATEST NEWSFind out more about what’s happening within our team. A Prison Officer's Experience Howard League ‘In Conversation’ event with Make Amends 6th May 2021 Free Working Restoratively With Young People TrainingFree Restorative Justice training for StonehouseReflections from a year in Restorative Justice by Soo BrizellOur Restorative Justice Week 2020 ActivitiesMake Amends win prestigious Howard League Award MAKING A REFERRAL TO MAKE AMENDS How to make a self-referral If you have been affected by crime or conflict, you can make a self-referral direct to our Team Co-ordinator by calling 01803 222033, by emailing [email protected] or by completing our enquiry form. Our experienced practitioners are on hand to chat with you and talk you through the process so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Make Amends enquiry formHow to make a referral if you're from a partner organisation or you’re a professional If you are a professional or part of a partner organisation and would like to make a referral, please contact our Team Co-ordinator to request a referral form by calling 01803 222033, or by emailing [email protected]. You can also complete our initial enquiry form at which point we’ll then send you a more in-depth referral form to complete and return. To understand more about our referral process, please take a look at our ‘5 simple steps’ to make a referral diagram below. STAYING IN TOUCH Join our mailing list If you’d like to join our Make Amends mailing list to receive news, events, training, and restorative justice info from us going forward, feel free to subscribe via http://eepurl.com/hn0LSL. We promise not to spam you! Follow us on social @makeamendsrj Facebook Twitter LinkedIN Instagram You can find us at: Endeavour House 228 Union St Torquay TQ2 5QS How to make a complaint If you have a complaint about our organisation, we want to hear about it and we will do our best to put it right. Please follow the steps as indicated in our Complaints Policy. Download our Complaints Policy