Breaking the Cycle – Insights from the Restorative Justice Council Conference

Breaking the ‘School to Prison Pipeline’

The role that our education system can play to break the ‘school to prison pipeline’ was a key theme of the conference.  The long- term impact of school exclusion is well documented within the 2019 Timpson review which found that young people excluded from school before the age of 12 are four times more likely to be imprisoned during adulthood and only 1% will go on to achieve five good GCSE grades placing them at higher risk of unemployment and exploitation. Delegates learned that data issued in February 2024 estimates the cost of excluding a young person at £370,000 across their lifetime, with reference to education, benefits, healthcare and civil justice costs.

Pressures within education were not underestimated and Dr Terrence Bevington spoke of the value of a restorative culture, including peer mediation, which gives young people the skills they need to resolve conflict, promote healthy relationships and facilitate a school environment that is best able to achieve the right outcomes for pupils.

Restorative Culture at the Heart of Communities

At the Conference, the impact of conflict on communities was also explored.  A panel breakout session looked at how cultivating a restorative culture could empower community transformation. This well attended break out session, focussed in particular on work in Northern Ireland, although the themes explored had obvious parallels with the work of the community mediation sector across the UK.

During this panel discussion, Chair of the Restorative Justice Council, Debbie Watters OBE, looked at how social disadvantage and an apparent absence of social justice could spark conflict.  The panel discussed how feeling heard was critical to reducing conflict and how in their experience the ability to establish community trust through local leadership was magnified if leadership came from within the community itself.

A soon to retire PSNI officer reflected on the importance of building relationships within the community during his career and how working in a joined-up way with local voluntary sector services was one effective way to prevent crime and the harm that flows from it.

In response to a question about the difference between theory and practice, Professor Tim Chapman, a lecturer at Ulster University, explained that there was some consensus that the terms ‘restorative justice’ and ‘mediation’ could be a barrier and how we communicate these concepts needs review.

Looking ahead to the next 5 years the panel concluded with thoughts about the vital importance of succession planning within local organisations working within the restorative justice sector.  They also shared their ongoing work to increase the physical presence and visibility of services to help embed restorative culture at the heart of local communities.

The Value of an Apology

Two keynote speeches that spanned the political to the personal were other highlights of the conference.

Professor Kieran McEvoy, examined the value of an apology, highlighting key apologies that had been given in historical and political contexts and analysing the wording of these formal acknowledgements of harm.   In doing so Kieran examined the legacy of conflict and drew conclusions about the role of apologies following conflict in Northern Ireland, Columbia and South Africa.  It was clear from his research that some apologies were more effective than others and some fell far short; there was also an acknowledgement that not all victims were looking for this type of reparation.

A Journey to Reparation

The Conference concluded with a speech from Jo Berry. Whilst the previous keynote was based on organisational apologies from armed combatants in a political context, in contrast Jo shared a personal account of meeting with the man who had planted a bomb which had killed her father. She began her session recounting her relationship with her father, the immediate impact of his death when she was aged 27 and her decision for something good to come from it.

Her experiences since have caused her to look deeply in to the causes and legacy of what she described as ‘othering’.  Her account of meeting with Patrick McGee, who planted the bomb in Brighton, was compelling and honest.  Jo spoke of her subsequent healing and the more difficult journey that she believed was now being experienced by Patrick. Jo also touched on how her family had supported her while she had been on this path.

Jo began her session by commenting that she would leave time at the end of her speech for people to reflect on the impact of what they had heard and ask questions.  In doing so she displayed an awareness of the sometimes controversial nature of forgiveness in all of its complexity.  Jo subsequently answered questions from delegates with a composure born from 40 years of work and personal reflection.

In this the 40^th  year following the Brighton Bomb, Jo is offering to share her experiences and give talks to organisations.  For more information visit www.buildingbridgesforpeace.org.