Criminal Justice Settings

Drawing on restorative and relational practice to co-create solutions with all stakeholders.

Solutions via relationships

We drawn on restorative and relational practice to foster inclusive residential environments with Approved Premises.

We encourage prison and probation managers and staff to draw on restorative practice inwardly – between teams, and outwardly – with residents/offenders to improve outputs and outcomes.

We coach YOS staff to help find hidden strengths amongst the families and young people they work with and to empower staff to effectively deliver our restorative intervention programme.

"I've learnt to sit my son by me and teach him right from wrong."

"I've noticed an improvement in how we communicate with residents with protected characteristics."

"I felt I have opened up a lot more within these sessions than I ever have done before."

How we engage

We provide engagement options to suit your timetable and budget.

We promote blended learning to meet specific needs, a combination of :

Consultation
e-Learning CPD
Face to face training/coaching
Zoom/Teams training/coaching
Action Learning Sets
Supervisions
Guided self-study
Restorative Practice Intervention Programmes

Outcomes with Criminal Justice Settings

Over the past ten years, we’ve achieved some notable outcomes with Criminal Justice Settings, including:

Fostering inclusive residential environments with Approved Premises (HMPPS pilot)
Training and coaching prison and probation staff to draw on restorative and relational practice in day to day dealings
Threading restorative practice into the adjudication process
Overseeing delivery of our restorative intervention programmes in multi-settings
Strengthening family ties via our parenting and relationship key life skills programmes

Current and recent projects

Restorative Thinking offers a range of blended learning opportunities: restorative and relational practice consultancy, training, coaching, e-Learning, action learning sets, programmes and projects to meet the needs of Commissioners and Stakeholders.

Recent Criminal Justice projects include:

2022 (ongoing): Whole service implementation of restorative practice with Birmingham Youth Offending Service.

2021-22: e-Learning CPD, training, coaching and action sets with Barnet YOS to develop restorative practice across teams, looking inwardly at how teams work together and outwardly at communications with families and young people. Training to deliver our restorative intervention programme with young people.

2020-22: Delivering restorative practice training in HMP setting, with a focus on drawing on restorative practice to support day-to-day relationships and routines; training staff in effective delivery of our ‘Restorative Life Skills’ intervention programme.

2019-20: Training Approved Premises staff to draw on restorative practice to strengthen relationships, prevent and manage conflict. Training in effective delivery of our ‘Restorative Life Skills’ programme.

2017 – 18: Working with the Families Team at HMP Risley, delivering ‘Parenting without Conflict’ with individuals and groups of offenders. ‘Parenting without Conflict’ is an evidence-based restorative parenting programme, awarded the Department of Health’s CANparent Quality Mark. Details of programme content, structure and outcomes can be found here. The evaluation of this project is available here.

2015 – 17: Intervention programme delivery throughout Cumbria to support the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s domestic abuse strategy. Restorative Thinking programme facilitators delivered ‘Parenting without Conflict’ and ‘Relationships without Conflict’ with families to prevent an escalation of domestic abuse and/or mutual partner violence. The external evaluation report for this project can be downloaded here.

2015 – 16: HMPPS funded programme to rigorously test restorative practice as a means of fostering inclusive residential environments in Approved Premises, a pilot in the Midlands and North East Divisions, including 16 Approved Premises. The external evaluation report is available here.

2015: Consultation followed by deep dive training with HMP staff to broaden the use of restorative practice in day to day dealings between staff, staff and residents and between residents. Restorative practice was successfully written into the adjudication process and became part of the prison culture, ‘the way we do things around here’. This, alongside delivery of our restorative intervention programme, generated evidence of a reduction in re-offending post release.

Restorative Key Life Skills Programme

Delivered in Prison and Probation Settings, this is a Restorative Intervention Programme, giving participants key life skills in effective relationship strategies, strengthening the process of rehabilitation, particularly with regard to reconnecting with family members, friendship groups, colleagues in the workplace.

The programme is based on sound evidence and is congruent with the ‘What Works’ literature.

The programme draws on restorative and relational principles and skills, giving participants practical strategies to develop positive self-talk and healthy relationships, take responsibility, prevent and resolve conflict and repair harm.

The graphic shown here was drawn by Trevor at HMP Humber (August 2022), during a workshop to train peer mentors to support delivery of our ‘Restorative Life Skills’ programme.

A Restorative Practice Programme Developed with Young people, for Young People

Designed to support youth justice professionals in their delivery of restorative practice with young people, this programme has been developed with young people, including a group at Sheffield Youth Offending Team.

This programme draws on restorative practice to bring about change in thinking and behaviour, developing life skills to foster positive relationships, prevent and manage everyday challenges and conflict.

Collaborate

Restorative Thinking’s small, experienced team of restorative trainers/practitioners/coaches/facilitators are keen to consolidate learning from existing projects and to continue to pioneer within the field of restorative and relational practice with colleagues in the criminal justice sector. If you are interested in working with us, please contact us for further information.

Restorative Thinking

Get in touch with us. We'd love to start a conversation.

E-Learning

Access our e-Learning CPD courses via this link.