In a world where trust in public services is declining, Restorative Justice for All International Institute (RJ4ALL) feels that a new social contract between communities and governments is needed. RJ4ALL believes that power abuse is the biggest driver of inequalities, human rights violations, and community tensions. The aim of RJ4ALL is to disseminate power more equally among communities. To achieve this, RJ4ALL has embarked on a postcode-wide project to build the world’s first restorative justice postcode in SE16. They created four interlinked arms to achieve this objective: the RJ4ALL International Institute, RJ4ALL Sports, the RJ4ALL Community Centre (in SE16 London), and RJ4ALL Publications.
Over the last 10 years, RJ4ALL has actively worked to reduce greed and distribute power more equitably, taking a unique approach distinct from traditional methods that focus on the negative aspects leading to crime. Over the past decade, RJ4ALL has led the way in promoting a positive, growth-oriented approach to crime prevention and community cohesion. After all this work, RJ4ALL decided to take decisive actions and translate its work into a rigorous research study to materialise their vision of a restorative justice postcode. The project formally began on New Year’s Day 2023, bringing together key stakeholders and local community to build the first restorative postcode in the world. This consolidates their vision to see restorative justice principles instilled in the local institutions, and community members get to experience a more equal distribution of local power – while they also start feeling that their voice is being heard and included in decision-making processes that impact on them.
A steering group of local key decision makers, such as councillors, businesses, and voluntary and community organisations, assists the project. The group’s function is to offer strategic support and guidance by
- Helping to develop the Restorative Justice Memorandum of Understanding
- Helping to develop and implement the project’s communication and dissemination strategy
- Helping to recruit the project’s wider network and stakeholders
- Providing critical and constructive feedback on (a) results and impact and (b) project content and development
- Helping with project sustainability
Dr Theo Gavrielides, RJ4ALL Founder and Director, aims for the project to be a driver to end inequalities and power abuse. He posits that levelling up can’t be achieved if power abuse isn’t addressed. He feels that there needs to be a drive to build consensus and dialogue between communities and bridge the gap that currently exists between local authorities and community members. In Dr Gavrielides’ words, “You can’t change just the system; you also have to involve those who the system is meant to serve.”
Intervention
RJ4ALL aims to see power disseminated equally in the community through local services delivered with power-sharing, equality, dignity, respect, and involvement in decision-making. As a result, community members should feel they have a share in the power and are heard. Community tensions are the focus of restorative justice dialogue, which aims to give power to all parties.
To date, RJ4ALL has successfully set their three-year strategy in place, turning a neglected building into an accessible community centre offering various free services. RJ4ALL’s services encompass programmes such as youth clubs, resilience workshops, wellbeing circles, a community fridge, a pantry, accessible sports at an RJ4ALL gym, Warm Hub services, digital inclusion sessions, and community consultation forums. These initiatives are consistently monitored for improvement.
Benefits
RJ4ALL measures success by using quantitative and qualitative indicators by logging every user, identifying their demographics, and holding pre- and post-intervention interviews. Using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scales (WEMWBS), focus groups, questionnaires, and case studies, RJ4ALL constructs an overall picture of the community. The sample is revisited regularly to check for changes. At the end of each year, RJ4ALL publishes a project impact report via triangulating findings through the steering group.
To RJ4ALL, success looks like improved community cohesion, reduced poverty, reduced tensions and violence, less recorded crime and anti-social behaviour, reduced hate attitudes, police caseloads diverted to community-based approaches (such as restorative justice), reduced school conflicts and bullying, and residents experiencing less overall conflict, violence, and youth crime. They have already created two quarterly impact reports to provide insights to the steering group, facilitate project development and serve as a communication tool for stakeholders, which is available on their website.
RJ4ALL is linked with policy initiatives such as Levelling Up UK and Southwark’s 2030 strategic plan. Furthermore, RJ4ALL aims to work with multiple cities around the world. Currently, they are working with the Vancouver-based Peace of the Circle, the host organisation of Restorative Collective Vancouver and the Colombian-based United States Institute of Peace.
Curia’s Levelling Up Commission
The Levelling Up Commission intends to consider ways to implement Levelling Up from the perspective of local and regional government. Too often the Levelling Up agenda is something being done ‘to and for’ local and regional government, the Commission intends to make sure it is done ‘with and by’ them.
Through roundtable meetings with MPs and senior leaders of local and regional government from across the UK, quantitative data analysis and regional sprints, the Commission intends to set out a series of recommendations to consider how regional inequalities can be reduced from the perspective of public services in four key areas:
- Health and Social Care
- Housing and Homelessness
- Education, Skills and Training
- Crime, Justice and Rehabilitation
Curia’s Crime, Justice and Rehabilitation Inquiry saw two panel sessions chaired by Paul Sheriff, former Shadow Minister for Social Care and Mental Health. The sessions covered topics such as the appropriate rehabilitation of offenders and the need for earlier intervention.
Watch the full videos here: