On 30th May I went to Home Farm in Beaumont Leys to present certificates to a group of volunteers who have completed training for a project run by the Restorative Justice Initiative Midlands.

Restorative Justice gives victims the chance to tell offenders about the real impact of their crime, get answers to their questions, receive an apology and move on with their lives. It also holds offenders to account, directly and personally, for what they have done, by making them understand the consequences of their actions and to make amends with victims.

The volunteers I met, including my constituent Louise Taylor from Beaumont Leys, have just completed training on how to provide safe and effective mediation between victims and offenders.

I will be working with our local police, the city council and community groups to see how restorative justice projects like this could be developed in future.