RJ Week: Celebrating Our Newly Recommissioned Service
Posted on: 11th, December 2024
On Wednesday 20th November, the West Yorkshire Restorative Justice (RJ) team held a celebratory event at Holy Trinity Church in Leeds to mark their newly recommissioned service.
With a focus on moving RJ forward collectively, there were a number of services and volunteers in attendance, showing their support for the service. Service Delivery Manager, Kate Brooksbank opened the event and the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin spoke about the importance of RJ being readily available to all victims of crime. Chief Inspector Phil Sanderson from West Yorkshire Police also explained the value of RJ amongst the Police force.
User Voice presented about the importance of involving people with lived experience of the criminal justice system when commissioning services, speaking openly and honestly about how their past experiences can be used in a positive way to help services be better for everyone.
Holly Garczynski, Course and Volunteer Coordinator within the RJ team, explained the use of RJ within the Hate Crime and Violent Crime Awareness Courses and how they are delivered with the victim’s thoughts and feelings at the centre of it. Holly also recognised the team’s volunteers, and thanked them for their hard work and commitment in delivering a quality service.
Within the RJ team, there is an Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and Immediate Justice (IJ) project. Leoni Purdy and Karen Keeley spoke about how working restoratively with people involved in ASB can help show the impact that their behaviour can have on others. Watching some newly created short films helped to demonstrate this at a deeper level.
In order to better understand the experiences of someone who has been through the RJ process, a case study was brought to life. Hearing from a victim and perpetrator who recently met face-to-face after a burglary incident demonstrated that RJ can have a positive impact on not only the people who have been harmed, but the person who has caused the harm too. Seeing a selection of positive feedback from others who have been through the process consolidated this further, significantly highlighting the importance of a quality RJ service.
As the event drew to a close, a table exercise encouraged everyone to enter into a discussion, and to take ownership of how best to move RJ forward across West Yorkshire.
Hearing from different services was thought provoking when considering how to eliminate barriers to RJ, and how best to progress with the provision of RJ across the region in the future. The event received lots of positive feedback and showcased the service’s passion and commitment, becoming the team’s highlight of International Restorative Justice Week 2024.
