VICTIMS of crime are often left with many unanswered questions ­— "Why me?" "Why did you pick me" and "Do you know how you made me feel".

Yet the answers could be vital to helping empower the victims and help them move on.

Now University of Bolton students will be bringing criminals face to face with their victims in a pioneering new scheme with the police.

Saiqa Chaudhari reports

RESTORATIVE justice is where criminals meet their victims in person. It is designed to stop the criminals reoffending and to give the victim some sort of closure.

Nicola Williams, volunteer co-ordinator for the Greater Manchester Restorative Justice service, said the scheme commonly referred to as RJ was “tremendously effective” in many cases.

"It can really make a huge difference," she said, "One RJ case we facilitated was a pensioner whose garden was her pride and joy. It was trashed when she was asleep one night and she was so upset.

“A young man was arrested and following a referral from GMP we contacted the woman to see if she wanted to take part in the RJ programme."

READ MORE: Former prisoner tells of meeting his victim of crime

READ MORE: Victims of crime speak about coming face to face with the criminal

Nicola added: “He had not targeted it deliberately and was sorry for what he had done. He was desperate to apologise to the victim. He wanted to join the armed forces and if he had gone through the criminal justice system that would not have been possible.

Nicola added: “He agreed to repay all the damage and offered a genuine apology.

“The victim was very upset that he could have faced prosecution which would have potentially ruined his life. She explained she had a grandson of a similar age who she wouldn’t have wanted charged.

“She understood that here was a young lad who had made a mistake, wanted to apologise and could now get on with his life, as could she.”

Now students from the university's school of education and psychology have put themselves forward as volunteers for the Greater Manchester Restorative Justice Service ­— commissioned by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) ­— to deliver the scheme in their local communities. GMCA aims to launch the county-wide Restorative Justice service next month to ensure that every victim, no matter where they live in Greater Manchester, would receive the same high level of service.

It is the first university in the UK that has forged such a close working relationship with the police.

Restorative Justice (RJ) supports the victims of crime and offenders, so the two parties can come together.

Nicola's role is to train the volunteers who will then go out into their local communities to deliver RJ.

She said: “The victim is often very badly impacted – they feel ‘why me?’, ‘why was I targeted?’.

“RJ gives them the chance to ask questions, to understand why an offender did what they did and for that offender to say sorry and make amends, perhaps by offering their time to help make reparation for what they have done.”

The training sessions for students were held over three days.

Chloe Parr, aged 18, who is enrolled on a psychology foundation course and plans to start a Criminology and Forensic Psychology degree course in September, said: "The training has been really difficult, but it has taught us a lot.

"You have to have an understanding of why a person has behaved the way they have; that is really important. I’m now looking forward to getting out there and doing it."

Bjorn Shelton, aged 33, who is studying psychology, said: “This training has changed my mindset 100 per cent ­— I have learned a huge amount and it is good that I am giving something back."

Dr Gill Brown, Associate Teaching Professor in Psychology and Programme Lead BSc (Hons) Criminological and Forensic Psychology at the School of Education and Psychology at the University of Bolton, said: “This a unique opportunity for students.

“There is no other university in the country that has this sort of panel working with the police.

“The students get a great deal from it ­— they learn real skills to help with future employability, while at the same time giving something back to their local community.”

Nicola said: “RJ does not affect the offender’s sentence ­— this is not the easy option for the offender.

“The whole aim is to help the victim and to change the offender’s behaviour and we know from results that RJ does have a positive impact. Offenders have to confront the consequences of what they are responsible for.

“Every pound spent on RJ leads to £8 being saved on the criminal justice system.

“We monitor offenders and victims after RJ sessions and we often get feedback that behaviour has changed and victims feel empowered.”

Nicola added: “It is fantastic that the University of Bolton has partnered with us – this group have been the best group I have worked with so far. It is great for the students.

“They are able to give something back to the community, at the same time building transferable skills. Even the application process is challenging.

“They have to complete a form and then go through a rigorous interview process.

“I am hoping that we can train volunteers from the University of Bolton once a year. I would love to come back here.”

The service will go live on June 3.

Around 70-80 volunteers have been trained and will work alongside paid staff.