Crime victims get right to apology
Mar 23, 2010
from Bob Roberts' article in the Mirror:
Criminals could be ordered to say sorry to victims in face-toface meetings as part of their sentence.
Gordon Brown wants those who have had offences committed against them to be given the right to a personal apology.
Criminals would also have to explain why they broke the law and offer some way of putting it right. The plans to shame them would be on top of any prison or community sentence handed out.
But it would only go ahead if victims wanted the apology and were happy to face the culprits. A senior Labour source said: "We need to make offenders face up to the impact of their actions."
The plans "to ensure that all victims of crime would have the right to an explanation, apology and redress from offenders" is expected to be a centrepiece of the Labour manifesto. It follows trials of the Restorative Justice scheme in Northern Ireland.
It has reduced levels of youth offending and reoffending. Police are expected to oversee the apologies.
