Improving communities with restorative justice

International Restorative Justice Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness about the importance of restorative justice practices.

This week we’ll be highlighting how we use restorative justice to resolve disputes between residents and create peace within our communities.

How do we use restorative justice (RJ)?

We use RJ to bring the people who are affected by a dispute, conflict or a crime and those responsible for it together to talk.

Our RJ Officer arranges for everyone involved to meet and then gives them all the opportunity to discuss the issues that they're having so that they can agree on a positive way to change behaviours and move forward.

What does Our RJ Officer do?

Our RJ officer will:

• Support neighbours to talk openly in a calm environment
• Give the affected neighbour an opportunity to explain how they have been impacted and what needs to happen to make things better
• Empower neighbours to resolve issues and agree on solutions

We’re one of a select group of housing associations who have an in-house Restorative Justice Officer. That means that we can deal directly with neighbourhood disputes from start to finish and help our residents live in more peaceful and sustainable communities.

It also helps us to build better relationships with our residents, understand how disagreements between neighbours can develop and find out what more we can do to prevent them.

What are the outcomes of RJ?

RJ not only puts an end to the conflict but also helps to repair the relationships between neighbours.

Residents involved in disputes are encouraged to reflect on any actions which may have upset their neighbours and understand how it has made them feel. Resolving these issues helps our customers to gain a better understanding of each other and makes sure that can live peacefully and feel safe in their homes again.

Consider your neighbours

We never really know what is happening in other people’s lives and we may not realise that our everyday actions are affecting our neighbours.

This RJ Week we’d like you to think about what you can do to be more considerate of your neighbour. Simple changes like turning the TV down or tidying your garden can make a big difference.

You can find out more about our restorative justice service or request a chat with RJ Officer here.