Princess Anne visited Sussex to celebrate the third year of their Restorative Justice Partnership scheme.
Princess Anne
The 66-year-old royal, who is the Patron of the Restorative Justice Council, visited Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourner in the East Sussex town of Lewes on Thursday (23.02.17) to mark their anniversary of the scheme and to learn more about the programme.
According to Brighton and Hove Independent Online Anne spoke to volunteers, people who have unfortunately been a victim of crime, as well as a previous offender, all of who spoke about their experiences under the programme, to prove the restorative justice helps to bring people together.
Speaking at the event, a facilitator for the partnership named Stephen Wells said: "Restorative justice is about people coming together, their voices being heard and feelings registered."
And PCC Bourner revealed the scheme was "slow" in the beginning but soon picked up the pace, with their first priority being the victims.
She said: "When Police and Crime Commissioners were given the responsibility to deliver victim services, some areas of the country were slow to buy in to the idea of restorative justice.
"In Sussex I made it a priority to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system and had no doubt that restorative justice should form an important part of this provision."
However, Bourner is now proud to notice a great change and progression since it was first set up and has described the restorative justice team as a "dedicated group".
She continued: "Before our partnership was formed restorative justice was inconsistent across Sussex. Two-and-a-half years down the line we have a dedicated group of practitioners, criminal justice agencies and voluntary organisations from across the spectrum of criminal justice, all working together to ensure both victims and wrongdoers are offered the chance to access a restorative service."
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