Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many domestic abuse cases included the use of Level 1 restorative justice in the last 12 months.
Tackling domestic violence and abuse is a key priority for this Government and we are clear that perpetrators of domestic abuse should, wherever possible be prosecuted.
The police frequently use the term ‘level one RJ’ or ‘street level’ RJ to describe cases where they have facilitated a conversation between the offender and victim at the time of attendance at the incident. This may be done in conjunction with a community resolution, and is most commonly used in cases such as shoplifting or criminal damage. We are clear that level one RJ is not appropriate in cases of domestic abuse. While information on the number of community resolutions is collected centrally, this does not include information about whether RJ formed part of that disposal.
As set out in the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy we are developing a cross government paper on the use of RJ to help victims of domestic abuse cases cope and recover.