Restorative justice scheme helping to steer young offenders away from crime

A project run by Nottinghamshire Police is helping to rehabilitate young offenders and divert them away from the criminal justice system.

Part of the Youth Intervention Section, the projects are delivered by PCSO Emma Dean.

The diversionary programmes are for young people aged between 10 to 18.

A young person will usually be enrolled onto the scheme after a panel has decided that they would benefit from partaking in a diversionary scheme to reduce reoffending.

Some of the community projects involved in the scheme include a centre called the Arches, a Nottingham based organisation which provides emergency furniture and household items to people in need.

The young people on the programme help to sand down and load the furniture into vans ready for people to collect.

Emma can also deliver educational sessions to individuals about specific criminal offences, for example she recently delivered a session on knife crime and its consequences after a young person was using a knife in a threatening way at home.

Support with anger management has also been given to young people, for example our officers helped a young person who often became aggressive whilst in public places and was banned from his local hospital.

He was given help to better manage his behaviour which resulted in less instances of police being called to incidents of anti-social behaviour.

PCSO Emma has also taken the young people to Stonebridge City Farm in the city centre and the young people have helped by litter picking around the site.

Other activities have involved delivering Notts Alerts leaflets to houses in St Ann’s and packing and preparing food bank parcels which are then donated to Gurdwara temples around Nottingham.

The length of the intervention programmes can range between just two sessions to multiple sessions over several months.

Restorative justice incorporates a trauma informed approach which recognises that young people entering the criminal justice system often come from complex backgrounds and may have had adverse childhood experiences which makes them more likely to offend.

It’s designed to help the young person take ownership of their actions, repair the harm they have caused to the community and through this, reduce the chance of them reoffending.

It also enables the young person to raise any personal issues they are having at home or school so that appropriate support can be given to them.

PCSO Emma Dean said:

“It’s very rewarding being able to help better the lives of young people that have started to offend and guide them in a more positive direction.

“A stand out case to me was a young person that previously felt that crime was his only option because some of his family were criminals.

“I worked with him to realise that employment and educational opportunities were available to him, and he has now gone on to stop offending and make a new life for himself.

“The young people we work with really benefit from the programme and enjoy having the opportunity to get out and give back to the communities they live in.”

Detective Inspector Rich Guy, from Nottinghamshire Police’s Youth Interventions team said:

“The work that both Emma does is invaluable in helping to reduce reoffending by engaging with young people from often disadvantaged backgrounds and giving them a safe space to reflect on their behaviour.

“We know that having a criminal record can significantly reduce outcomes in later life and so this programme works to help give young people a second chance whilst also reducing the damage done to the community that offences like criminal damage and anti-social behaviour cause.”