Open Letter to Lord Timpson: Restorative Justice as the Foundation for Rehabilitation and Ending the Cycle of Reoffending
The Rt Hon. The Lord Timpson OBE
Minister of State for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending
Ministry of Justice, London SW1H 9AJ
10 October 2025
Dear Lord Timpson,
I write to you on behalf of the Restorative Justice For All International Institute at a pivotal moment for criminal justice reform in the United Kingdom. Firstly, I refer you to my previous letter concerning the prison crisis, to which you responded in your capacity as Minister of State for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending. Therein, we welcome the fresh perspective that you bring through your practical experience employing ex-offenders. However, we have some points that we would like to present for your immediate attention and within the context of the sentencing reforms that are taking place. We also want to refer you to our campaigning work during the Victims’ Bill passage and our position for a victims right to restorative justice.
It is in the spirit of partnership that we write to you today – to explore how restorative justice can be systematically integrated alongside rehabilitation and resettlement efforts, particularly as you navigate the ongoing prison capacity crisis with 3,000 additional prisoners each year and demand outstripping supply by 9,500 in early 2028.
The Lord Chancellor’s acknowledgment in May 2025 that “we cannot build our way out of this crisis” was both thought-provoking and accurate. While the £4.7 billion investment in prison construction addresses capacity, it does not address the root causes driving reoffending rates of 32.5% (2023–24) or the high rate of self-harm among young people in custody, which, if projected over a year, reached 267.7 incidents per 100 individuals between October and December 2024. Over the last two years, more than eight prisons received “urgent notifications” from inspectors due to serious concerns, including prisoners held beyond release dates (Pentonville), violence linked to unmet basic needs (Winchester), and self-harm incidents (Manchester).
We note with concern the September 2025 announcement of tagging up to 22,000 additional offenders annually at a cost of £100 million. While monitoring and supervision have their place, this represents a significant investment in surveillance rather than transformation. Electronic tagging tells us where someone is, not whether they have developed empathy, taken responsibility for their actions, or repaired relationships with victims and communities. There is limited evidence that tagging alone reduces reoffending – it manages risk but does not address the underlying factors that drive criminal behaviour.
In this regard, we welcome the Gauke Review’s recommendation for an Earned Progression Model, whereby prisoners “earn” early release through good behaviour, education, employment, and engagement in purposeful activities. However, restorative justice is missing from this policy. We strongly urge to work with us to build avenues from a restorative justice perspective to ensure that “purposeful activity” includes genuine accountability to victims and communities. Participating in voluntary victim-offender dialogue, community conferencing, or victim awareness programmes demonstrates not only compliance but meaningful engagement with the harm caused – developing empathy and responsibility that surveillance and restriction cannot achieve.
Your own experience demonstrates what we know from evidence: people change when given purpose, dignity, and a stake in their community. At Timpson Group, you have shown that employment and trust can break cycles of reoffending. Restorative justice operates on similar principles – it gives both harmed and harming parties agency, voice, and the opportunity to address harm in ways that the formal justice system cannot.
RJ4All operates nationally from our Rotherhithe Community Centre in London, addressing power abuse, conflict, and poverty through restorative justice values and practices. We are particularly proud of our project building the world’s first restorative justice postcode in SE16. Unlike top-down approaches, our model is led by residents and local stakeholders, ensuring genuine buy-in and lasting impact.
Our approach is holistic and evidence-driven, grounded in rigorous research and the lived experiences of victims, those who cause harm, and communities. We do not advocate for restorative justice as a panacea – we recognise it is not appropriate for all cases. Our rigorous assessment process ensures that safety, voluntariness, and quality are maintained.
This work is now expanded internationally through our branches in Europe and with partners across the world. We have been driven by evidence since our inception and we differentiate ourselves from restorative justice campaigning organisations for this reason. Examples of our international initiatives include: the Restorative Justice Practice Framework – an international guide for implementing restorative justice ethos and practice, the International Fellowship of Restorative Justice Practitioners – connecting and empowering individuals and services delivering restorative justice globally, and the International Restorative Justice Pledge – demonstrating our participation in the global social movement for restorative justice practice.
We are working with the Victims Minister and the Ministry of Justice especially in strengthening rights for victims under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, particularly through the inclusion of restorative justice in the revised Victims’ Code. The Code now explicitly recognises victims’ entitlements to receive information about restorative justice options both when reporting a crime and following the outcome of a court case. This is an important and encouraging step forward in embedding restorative justice within the formal criminal justice framework. As referenced above, we are also encouraged by your acknowledgment, in responding to our previous correspondence on the early release scheme, that collaboration with frontline workers and communities is essential.
However, we know from our work that many victims seek more than information – they seek the opportunity to be heard, to have their questions answered, and to participate meaningfully in addressing harm. International evidence demonstrates that victims who participate in well-facilitated restorative processes report higher satisfaction, reduced fear, greater closure, and lower rates of post-traumatic stress.
The critical question of implementation remains: is there adequate investment in restorative justice infrastructure – trained facilitators, quality standards, and accessible services – to deliver on the promise of the Victims’ Code at scale? We stand ready to support this implementation through our evidence-based practice and community-led approach.
While we welcome the inclusion of restorative justice in the Victims’ Code, we must emphasise a critical caveat: not all restorative justice practice is equal.
In the past, government funding has supported restorative justice initiatives that lacked robust evidence bases, proper training standards, or adequate safeguards. Some practices have been delivered without risk assessment, facilitator competence, or victim-centred approaches. This undermines confidence in restorative justice and risks harm to vulnerable participants. With the inclusion of restorative justice practices in the Victims’ Code, it is important now more than ever that practices not supported by evidence stop.
Going forward, investment in restorative justice must be tied to evidence and quality standards. I am proud to tell you that RJ4All is actively contributing to this evidence based approach through our groundbreaking project – Restorative Justice in Youth Justice Services: The Evidence, funded by Youth Endowment Fund and supported by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
Working with ten exceptional Youth Justice Services across England and Wales – including Leeds, Northamptonshire, Salford, West Mercia, and Southwark – and supported by Coram as an independent evaluator, we are co-designing a Shared Practice Model that defines the core components and minimum common elements needed for consistent, high-quality, victim-centred practice. This model will be accompanied by certified training and rigorous evaluation to demonstrate what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
This is the model that must guide future investment: evidence-driven, rigorously evaluated, grounded in the safety and needs of all participants, and delivering measurable outcomes for victims, young people, and communities.
We note your response to our earlier correspondence and the Attorney General’s acknowledgment of the importance of incorporating restorative justice into criminal justice discussions. We would welcome the opportunity to establish a critical friendship – a partnership characterised by constructive dialogue, evidence-based practice, and shared commitment to serving victims and ending the cycle of reoffending.
RJ4All has successfully engaged with government at multiple levels, including contributing to House of Lords debates on the Victims Bill and recently receiving Highly Recommended Award for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at the Inspire Justice Awards 2025. As an active member of the Victim and Witness Sector Engagement Group (VWSEG), we are committed to representing community voices and addressing sector concerns.
We respectfully request:
(1) A meeting with you or your senior officials to discuss how restorative justice can complement current reform initiatives, particularly the earned progression model and community reintegration efforts.
(2) A visit to our Community Centre to witness community-led restorative justice in action.
(3) Inclusion in policy development processes affecting victims, rehabilitation, and community reintegration, ensuring our sector and communities have voice in decisions that directly affect them.
Your personal journey demonstrates that transformation is possible when we invest in people’s potential. We share this belief and believe that together we can contribute to a justice system that truly serves victims, reduces reoffending, and builds safer, more cohesive communities.
I look forward to hearing from you and to establishing a constructive partnership in service of transformative justice.
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Theo Gavrielides, PhD, Barrister (non-practising)
Founder & Director
Restorative Justice for All International Institute (RJ4All)
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Restorative Justice for All International Institute (RJ4All)
RJ4All is a charitable international institute with a mission to address power abuse, conflict, and poverty through the use of restorative justice values and practices. We do this through a combination of restorative justice projects delivered both internationally and locally at the RJ4All Rotherhithe Community Centre in London. We advance community cohesion, equality, human rights, and redistribute power by supporting civil society and delivering social justice and poverty relief projects, educational programmes and high-quality volunteering opportunities for marginalised groups.
For more information: https://rj4all.org/
