LANCASHIRE Police is the first force in England and Wales to team up with national organisation 'Why me?' to improve victim’s access to restorative justice.

The move is to help victims make an informed choice about their recovery in the first phase of a new project, Access to Justice: Hate Crime and RJ (restorative justice).

Ministry of Justice research has shown that restorative justice can result in 85 per cent victim satisfaction and a 14 per cent reduction in the frequency of re-offending.

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The aim of the project is to work with community groups and find out what the barriers are, along with what support is required, as well as finding out what practical guidance practitioners need on how the restorative justice process can be best used for hate crime and for specific groups of victims.

Lucy Jaffe, Why me? director said: “Solely putting hate crime offenders into custody is unlikely to resolve the harm caused or stop the prejudice that caused the crime. Used alongside any punishment, restorative justice has the potential to really identify and address the harms caused by hate crime. It offers victims the opportunity to take back control by telling their story and having their voices heard.

"The reality of victims’ suffering is brought into focus for offenders, allowing them to see the humanity in their victims and helping them to change."

Helena Cryer, Lancashire Police restorative justice manager added: “We are really looking forward to working with Why me? on this exciting project in 2018.

"The utilisation of restorative justice for hate crime and hate incidents can have recognised benefits for victims and we are keen in Lancashire to further develop the access that victims have to restorative justice."