Cumbrian justice

After a successful pilot in South Cumbria, the Restorative Justice scheme is now being launched countywide.

Assistant Chief Constable of Cumbria Police, Jerry Graham, said: "Our pilot in South Cumbria has shown that the majority of victims are satisfied with the results of Restorative Justice and offenders learn about the consequences of their actions, giving them the opportunity to make amends and make better choices in the future."

Since April 2008, police officers in South Cumbria have been using Restorative Justice to deal with low level offences committed by offenders under the age of 18 years, primarily those who have not previously been in the criminal justice system.

Since being launched, first time entrants into the Criminal Justice System in the area fell by 27 per cent and lower rates of re-offending have been recorded. To date, 17.2 per cent of Restorative Justice recipients have re-offended, compared with 31.4 per cent of young people who received a Reprimand or Final Warning during the same period.