Special 'clinics', set up to get young offenders to face up to their actions by making contact with victims, are proving a success.
Bradford Council's Youth Offending Team, Youth Service and West Yorkshire Police have been running Restorative Justice Clinics in Shipley and Keighley since the end of last year and in Bradford since last month.
The young person is referred to a clinic if they are at the point of arrest as an alternative to the Criminal Justice System, at risk of receiving a Red Warning letter (two steps away from an ASBO) for Anti-Social Behaviour or if they have been identified by Neighbourhood Policing Teams as being at high risk of offending.
At the clinic they will be helped to improve their behaviour and make amends for their actions, such as through voluntary work in the community and where possible, talking to the victim. An action plan to improve their behaviour will be drawn up and monitored.
So far 37 clinics have been held and 71 per cent of victims have been involved with 11 actually coming face to face with the young person and ten having their views represented at the sessions.
Victims have praised the concept, as it gave them a chance to get a proper apology from the culprits and the chance to put forward how they had been affected by the young person's actions.
This worked for Arif (not his real name) who was referred to a clinic for assaulting his school teacher. The teacher agreed to attend, as did Arif and his mum. Arif explained why it happened and learnt how the incident had affected both his teacher and other students. He also learnt how it had impacted on his family.
Arif was left feeling remorse for his actions and wanting to make amends by improving his behaviour at school, being more respectful to his mum, attending anger management classes and completing a day's reparation at his Mosque. As a result his home and school life has improved and he has got more involved in local youth activities.
The clinics can mean a young person avoids getting a criminal record or a Red ASBO warning. Some could also be prevented from breaking the law.
Coun Ralph Berry, Executive Member for Children's Services, said: "Restorative Justice Clinics are proving a very successful means of turning a young person's life around, showing them how their actions can affect others and that there are alternative paths to that of crime."
