After nearly 20 years working in the criminal justice system, one of the common themes that emerged from the many cases I handled centred on the role of the victim.

That’s why I was delighted to take part in a recent public meeting at the Pilgrim Centre in Swindon on the topic of Restorative Justice. This is the process by which victims get the chance to tell offenders the real impact of their crimes. It also allows victims to get answers to their questions and sometimes, a real apology.

It confronts offenders with what they have done, which often leads to greater understanding, an assumption of responsibility and the wish to make amends.

This is not a soft option, it’s a challenging and robust process which gives victims more control and brings home to criminals the consequences of their actions.

The meeting heard from several victims of crime who had used Restorative Justice, including victims of household burglaries.

In one case, the offender had been reluctant to engage, but then, in the words of the victim, “something clicked” and the apology became real.

In this case, the victim had told the burglar that just before the burglary, her 15-month-old granddaughter had died and that she had been grieving. Suddenly, this human element made all the difference.

We learned from Swindon’s Youth Offending Team that over the past nine years, a total of 3500 victims had been contacted about the possibility of using Restorative Justice. We also learned about research which suggests that the process really does reduce the re-offending rate, which is one of the holy grails of the criminal justice system.

Another area discussed was the use of Restorative Justice by local communities to resolve anti-social behaviour and criminal damage.

In Swindon, our local police officers are trained in these techniques and I know of examples where, as an alternative to a criminal prosecution and trial, Restorative Justice has been used to resolve the issue.

The Government is strongly committed to increasing the use of this technique, and has already given financial support to the Restorative Justice Council, which trains and registers practitioners.

In the new year, the Government will be piloting Neighbourhood Resolution Panels. I am glad that Swindon Borough has already registered an interest in this process, and Nick Herbert, the Home Office Minister responsible, is aware of the great work that has been going on in Swindon.

I very much hope that Swindon will be given a chance to take part in this initiative which really can make a difference.

Swindon Quakers are to be thanked for their organisation of a well attended, thoughtful and moving evening.