Offenders go face to face with crime victims thanks to new panel

Several volunteers have trained to be Volunteer Restorative Justice Facilitators as part of the new Rotherham Community Justice Panel launched by Rotherham Borough Council.

The panel aims to bring victims together with offenders so they can describe how the crime involved has affected them.

The community justice panel will also seek to resolve long-running neighbour disputes.

Fully-trained volunteers act as a facilitator between the victim and the wrongdoer, where both parties have agreed to resolve the conflict in this way. So far, nine volunteers have been trained to facilitate panels.

The volunteer facilitator will meet with the participants before bringing them together at a panel to talk about what happened and look at way forward to put things right.

Community Justice Panel co-ordinator Carol Purvis said: “Referral to the Community Justice Panels is completely voluntary.

“Participants agree to take part and it is led by the victim. All participants are given the opportunity to speak, and through a structured discussion, the participants come to an agreement about the best forward.

“Often, all a victim wants is an apology and an acknowledgement of the hurt and upset that has been caused.

“Volunteers will encourage wrongdoers to acknowledge the impact of what they have done and make amends to the victim and the wider community.

“This approach is not designed to punish the wrongdoer, but they are not a soft option either, as they make the wrongdoer face up to the impact of what they have done.”

Volunteer Hannah Upstone added: “As soon as I saw the advert I jumped at the chance to volunteer.

“The concept is fantastic and as it is new to Rotherham I was eager to be involved in the development and launch, giving people (especially young people) the chance for redemption and offer an alternative solution to a criminal record.

“It gives them an opportunity to right a mistake that could have an impact on the rest of their lives.

“It can also offer closure to the victim or 'harmed person' which they may not get through the courts procedure.”

Volunteers are still needed from neighbourhoods across Rotherham.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer facilitator to help victims and wrongdoers reach an agreement to move forward, contact Carol Purvis on 01709 334566 or email [email protected].

For more information, contact RMBC Community Safety on

RMBC Community Safety