IARS responds to Breaking the Cycle Green Paper

IARS submitted two responses to the Ministry of Justice's Green Paper; Breaking the Cycle. The Green Paper sets out the government's proposals for fundamental changes to the criminal justice system with a particular focus on sentencing and rehabilitation.

The first IARS response has a specific focus on youth justice and draws on evidence from focus groups held with young people. Young participants in focus groups are currently engaged in IARS' Youth of Today project which provides opportunities to 13 - 19 year olds across London to receive training and support to participate in research and policy activities. The consultation response also uses evidence compiled by IARS through past research into young people and criminal justice. The response puts an emphasis on youth-led projects, the contribution of public legal education, early intervention and restorative processes for preventing young people from offending. A copy of this consultation response can be found in IARS' online library. 

The second IARS response was produced by IARS' Director Dr. Theo Gavrielides and IARS and focuses on restorative justice. The evidence was collected via various restorative justice research programmes carried out by IARS and other organisations. The response makes a case for an independent voice for the restorative justice movement, infrastructure support for restorative justice practitioners and a more thorough evaluation. It also presents evidence on the use of restorative justice in prisons. A copy of this response can also be found in IARS' online library .

For further information about these consultation responses please contact Theo Gavrielides - t.gavrielides@iars.org.uk