Immediate justice for anti-social behaviour

The aim of immediate justice is to:

• educate the individual about their offending behaviour, the impacts on communities and consequences
• give victims and communities a voice in how offenders repair harm and damage 
   

The intended outcomes of the immediate justice: 

• increase the number of out of court disposals by attending the workshops
• increase education on the consequences and impacts of their offending behaviour
• reduce ASB crime figures
• increase public confidence 

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) was awarded £1 million for immediate justice by the Home Office’s anti-social behaviour action plan.

Derbyshire Constabulary was selected as a pilot force for the scheme. Discussions with partners such as Youth Justice Services (YJS) took place to explain the immediate justice process, how this could work alongside existing processes and how this new approach was for first-time or low-level offences that would not usually go through YJS.

The immediate justice scheme was rolled out for crimes and non-crimes taking place in the community. This included all ASB, harassment, public order, drunk and disorderly, shop theft, cannabis possession and criminal damage. Those found committing ASB swiftly repair the harm and the damage they have caused the victims and communities by undertaking reparative work. This work is victim and community focused with a commitment from police and partners to crack down on ASB. Immediate justice gives victims and communities a voice in how offenders repair the harm they have caused because of their behaviour and aims to increase community confidence in reporting incidents of ASB.

Derbyshire Constabulary utilises immediate justice to be used as a part of a community resolution outcome or a conditional caution and can also be completed on a voluntary basis as part of an ASB warning letter, anti-social behaviour contract (ABC) or voluntary control order (VCO). 

Derbyshire Constabulary commissioned Remedi (a local charity) to deliver the ASB workshop and the reparative work. This meant that offenders worked with a Remedi caseworker on a 1-1 basis and have open and honest conversations regarding their offending. During these conversations they discuss how and why their behaviour started, the impact it has on them, the community and their families. 

The reparative work consists of:

• litter picking
• working on allotments
• working in food banks
• working in charity shops
• setting up village halls for events
• building bird or bat boxes and gifting those to the community

They can also gain AQA qualifications through this scheme encouraging the wider educational piece.

If an individual refuses immediate justice and continues to offend, they are not offered another chance in the programme and the police response for their offending will escalate accordingly.

To ensure equality and diversion, Remedi complete an initial assessment with each individual to ensure the reparative work is suitable. If there are specific needs or requirements Remedi will implement this so no-one is excluded from taking part in the scheme. There is also an option to use interpreters if required and Remedi have the appropriate resources available to them.

The force’s internal team for immediate justice consist of an immediate justice and hotspot manager, immediate justice facilitator, immediate justice charge manager and an analyst. There are 11 caseworkers, two co-ordinators and one manager for Remedi.

An evaluation is ongoing and being led by Derbyshire Constabulary. The University of Derbyshire will also be delivering an independent evaluation. 

The evaluation will look at the impact of the intervention by exploring how measures change over time including:

• number of referrals
• reoffending rates
• victim satisfaction
• ASB incidents and crime figures

The evaluation is also looking at how it is implemented, the mechanisms of why it does or does not work and a cost-benefit analysis with the reduction of re-offending.

This also enables the force to utilise the fact that there have been less first-time entrants into the criminal justice system.

Once offenders have completed the workshop, Remedi have a survey for them to complete that asks them about what they have learnt. If consent is provided by the offender, this data can be used in evaluations. 

Early findings from the evaluation show that immediate justice appears to be having a positive impact. There have been less first-time entrants into the criminal justice system. There was a 100% satisfaction rate from victims on the immediate justice process. 

Hotspot Policing has shown that the force received immediate justice referrals through the ASB hotspots location. Since October 2024 there have been 720 referrals, with 78% completing the immediate justice scheme. 79% of these referrals have not gone on to re-offend. This reduces ASB occurring within the hotspot and other areas. In the longer-term there should be a reduction in serious harm committed by these offenders, as analytical data shows individuals who start offending with low level ASB tend to cause serious violence in later years.

This has led to a reduction in the number of first-time entrants into the criminal justice system and YJS by offering them an out of court resolution (OOCR) for low level offences and providing an educational element to prevent re-offending. Using out of court disposal methods also helps alleviate the pressure on the court system for low level offences.  

Disclosures from offenders to Remedi caseworkers heas ensured that relevant agency help can be put in place to support the offender. The disclosures may explain some patterns of behaviour.  

Senior leadership support for the success of the Immediate Justice in Derbyshire Constabulary is important. The chief constable and PCC support the programme as it offers an educational route and allows a space for individuals to talk about their experiences and to be referred to appropriate agencies. Immediate justice also allows monitoring on reoffending rates and entry in the criminal justice system which can be compared to other approaches.

Derbyshire Constabulary and Remedi have an excellent partnership, vital to the success of Immediate justice. Remedi deliver all restorative and reparative workshops and interventions for Derbyshire and the strong partnership allows smooth and efficient service to support individuals.

The Home Office requested that reparation work was to be completed within 48 hours, this was an unrealistic timeframe. Derbyshire Constabulary ensures that within 48 hours, contact has been made with the individual and their family, that they are made aware of the Immediate Justice programme and that reparative work has been booked which allows swift intervention and a more meaningful outcome. It is thought that swift intervention after the incident, helps with the compliance to Immediate Justice.

There is time and cost savings with immediate justice as officers do not having to create casefiles for jobs that could have been suitable for an OOCR, freeing up officers time to spend on other demands.

The immediate justice referral process is simple and easy for officers, they understand how to deliver this to their victims and offenders and the response from officers has been positive.

The reparative work being completed on a 1-1 basis really engages the offender and allows them to reflect on their offence and behaviour. This provides them with more of an understanding of how to change their behaviour in the future. The 60 minute workshops are tailored to the crime to really allow the offender to understand this.