Staff at Thames Valley Probation scooped a prestigious national award for their pioneering work introducing restorative justice as part of community sentences.
The probation trust won the award at this year’s Howard League for Penal Reform’s Community Programmes Awards.
Gerry Marshall, the trust’s chief executive, said:
'I am delighted for all our staff involved. This award, alongside our excellent inspection reports recently, shows that probation does work and this is further recognition of that.'
Restorative justice is a system where offenders meet and apologise to their victims.
It has been proven to reduce the likelihood of the offender re-offending and most victims who take part say it brings them greater peace of mind, following the trauma of the crime.
Geoff Emerson, the manager for Thames Valley Restorative Justice, said:
'It shows what can be done to reduce re-offending and help victims if restorative justice is part of a demanding community sentence.
He added:
'Face-to-face meetings between suitable offenders and their victims can achieve very positive outcomes for all concerned. This takes us away from the 'hard' versus 'soft' perception of community sentences and focuses on what works and what repairs the harm done by individual crimes.'
