Cornwall and Devon justice chiefs meet over 4-in-1,000 gap

Picture a crime happening near you today. Somewhere among a thousand cases just like it, only four will ever reach the process designed to bring the person harmed and the person responsible into the same room. That gap is what brought together some of Devon and Cornwall‘s most senior justice figures today, all sitting down with one aim: work out why, and fix it.

A summit built around one number

The barriers stopping more crimes reaching Restorative Justice in Devon and Cornwall are under scrutiny at a summit today (Tuesday 8 September), hosted by Devon’s High Sheriff, Mark Ansell. Mark has made Restorative Justice the focus of his year in office, and has brought together key figures from across the criminal justice system to look at how to get more victims and offenders through the door.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez has welcomed the summit. Mark wants the day to end with a practical plan for widening access to Restorative Justice across both counties.

Leading the day alongside Mark are Devon and Cornwall Police’s Chief Constable, James Vaughan, Alison Hernandez, and the charity Make Amends, which administers Restorative Justice across the region. They’re joined by people from the police, courts, prisons, support services, youth justice services and councils, plus people who have experienced the process themselves after a crime.

What Restorative Justice actually involves

Restorative Justice gives people harmed by crime the chance, where appropriate and under carefully controlled conditions with a trained practitioner, to have a dialogue with the person responsible after sentencing. Victims can ask questions and explain what the crime cost them. Offenders get the chance to understand the real consequences of what they did and take responsibility for it. For both sides, the process can be transformational.

The evidence behind the push

A University of Sheffield report evaluating seven Cambridge University-led experiences of Restorative Justice found it can cut reoffending by up to 27%. Government figures currently put reoffending at 80% of all crime.

The charity Why Me? has calculated that every £1 spent on Restorative Justice saves £14 from the wider public purse. And the right to be offered it is now written into the 2024 Victims Code.

Referrals climbing, but still small

Referrals can come from more than just the police. Prisons, the youth justice service, councils, the NHS, education settings and other support services can all refer a case.

Make Amends, which oversees Restorative Justice provision across Devon and Cornwall, received 94 referrals through the criminal justice system in 2025 to 2026. The year before that it was 89, and the year before that, 51. So far this year there have been 18 (other services outside the criminal justice system make referrals too, on top of those figures).

Mark Ansell said: “There is no doubt in my mind that Devon and Cornwall are already at the national forefront of demonstrating how to implement an effective structure for Restorative Justice.

“Yet despite all the research and data showing that RJ is good for victims and offenders and can be transformational for both, and is great value for taxpayers, despite RJ being a clearly articulated right in the Victim Code for all victims of crime, despite excellent RJ practitioners Make Amends being in place in Devon and Cornwall funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, despite Devon and Cornwall Police having a nationally-respected dedicated RJ Coordinator in place and a good referral process, right now an RJ process is activated in Devon and Cornwall in an estimated less than 4 in 1,000 cases.

“After seeing the brilliant play PUNCH at Theatre Royal Plymouth together in April, the Chief Constable, the Police and Crime Commissioner and I agreed that less than the estimated 4 in 1000 in Devon and Cornwall should and could be changed to more than 4 in 100. Crucially, this is about empowering victims of crime. While we understand in some instances there’s no suspect, or the victim doesn’t want to go ahead, or other reasons why it doesn’t happen, we all think RJ can and should happen more.”

Why Mark Ansell chose this cause

Each High Sheriff picks a theme for their year in office. Mark was drawn to Restorative Justice after hearing Amol Rajan interview Jacob Dunne on a BBC podcast. Jacob’s story went on to inspire the play PUNCH. Jacob and David Hodgkinson, the father of James Hodgkinson, who Jacob killed with a single punch on a night out, are now key campaigners for Restorative Justice, and both will give the keynote at today’s summit.

Voices from lived experience

Other speakers include Seth Marks and his mother Julie, who live near Tavistock. Seth was left quadriplegic after a car crash. The car was being driven by a friend who had been drinking and smoking cannabis. After going through Restorative Justice themselves, Seth and Julie now campaign to raise awareness of the process.

Julie said: “Restorative Justice gave me my life back by empowering me to have a voice to be heard and listened to in a very compassionate safe and professional manner. I was able to move on with my life enabling me to say ‘I forgive you’ to the harmer. I needed him to take accountability and responsibility not to say sorry, which he did.

“My desire is that more people have the opportunity I had to recover from such a devastating situation. It offers the chance for people to move on with their lives with some peace, having had their voices heard and questions answered. The outcome from a person having Restorative Justice is far reaching. It has the potential to prevent further impacts from the trauma they have suffered.”

What the organisers want next

Lucy Evans, Service Manager with Make Amends, said: “My ambition is that this summit marks a genuine turning point for Restorative Justice in Devon and Cornwall. I want us to look honestly at the whole journey, from the point a crime happens, through the criminal justice system, to where RJ can be offered, and identify where opportunities are being missed and why. That means asking some difficult but important questions. Are people being told about RJ? Are professionals confident enough to raise it? Are there groups who are less likely to access it?

“Our ambition is to move referral numbers up, but the target is not just about numbers. It is about making RJ a more accessible, consistent and effective part of our justice system, so that far more victims have the opportunity to be heard, get answers and, where appropriate, take part in a process that can help them move forward.”

Mark Myer, Restorative Justice Coordination Manager with Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “In Devon and Cornwall, we recognise the positive difference that Restorative Justice can make. It gives victims a voice and enables offenders to take accountability for their actions, providing understanding and resolution. We are fortunate to have the backing of both the Chief Constable and PCC in this endeavour, as well as a highly professional and dedicated RJ service in Make Amends.”

Alison Hernandez said: “Restorative Justice (RJ) has proven time and time again to give victims closure and stop criminals offending again which is why my office funds Make Amends, the only RJ service for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

“I look forward to working with the High Sheriff to promote RJ and hearing about more people it has helped. Like the High Sheriff I am hoping those numbers will continue to increase. It is crucial that all victims of crime know that they have a right to access RJ, but are also made aware it is a voluntary rather than compulsory process.”

The day includes workshops on how Restorative Justice applies to specific crime types, from domestic abuse and road traffic incidents to serious violence and youth crime.