Restoring Relations Project
The Restoring Relations Project (RRP): Addressing Hate Crime through Restorative Justice is a London-wide initiative, whose overall objective is to help reduce hate crime in London through the use of restorative justice and the encouragement of multi-agency cross-sector partnerships. In particular it aims to reduce the potential for hate crime in London boroughs by encouraging stakeholders (Metropolitan Police, Victim Support, offender resettlement, Probation and BAME organisations) to concentrate resources on:
- Types of hate crime
- Types of victims and perpetrators
- Geographical areas that are experiencing an increase in hate crime
The first phase of the RRP involved an extensive literature review analysing best practice and identifying the conceptual framework which was completed in June 2007 (Click here phase 1 report). Phase 2 of the project involved a youth advisory group of 12 young people aged 16-25 who volunteered to share their opinions and experiences of hate crime in London.
Additionally phase 2 built upon the findings from phase 1 placing the project in the London context by carrying out face-to-face in-depth interviews with Third sector organisations, regional decision makers, criminal justice practitioners and government.
Phase 3 of the RRP commenced in February 2008 and has concentrated on raising awareness and disseminating information based on the findings and recommendations made in the previous two phases. The RRP report was launched at a conference in April (post-conference report click here) whilst also a training manual and toolkit providing short-term conflict resolution and long-term prevention strategies for hate crime was produced and made available. From the training manual ROTA carried out face-to-face training sessions with key London stakeholders and will also continue to use the findings from all phases to influence policy and practice through outreach work, membership to expert groups, advisory boards and forums.
Restoring Relations Project – Evaluation
This report forms the evaluation of the Restoring Relations: Addressing Hate Crime through Restorative Justice Project which was carried out by Race on the Agenda (ROTA). ROTA commissioned Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS), to carry out this evaluation of the Restoring Relations Project (RRP) and to provide an impact assessment of various phases of the project.
Click HERE to download the full report.
As part of EHRC funding ROTA will be delivering further hate crime training sessions in 2009. Additional work in the area of hate crime will involve specific meetings and newsletters which aim to reduce the impact of hate crime by encouraging multi-agency partnerships.
In 2006 – 2007, the RRP was supported by City Parochial Foundation. In 2007-2008, the project is supported by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Safer London Foundation.
