Victims

Work with victims

How does the Youth Offending Service (YOS) work with victims?

The police will pass on your details to the victim liaison officer, unless you have said that you do not want them to contact you. A victim liaison officer will then contact you to offer you an appointment for a telephone discussion.

Please note: Your involvement with this service is entirely voluntary, and you may change your mind about having contact with the victim liaison officer at any point during the offender's sentencing.

Go to the victim contact page if you have received a letter as a victim of youth crime.

What to expect

The officer will:

  • check if you have any immediate concerns about the offender's behaviour towards you
  • explain what happens to the information you give them
  • explain what the offender's sentence means and how decisions are made about how long the offender is subject to a sentence or stays in prison
  • ask if you would like to be kept informed of key developments during the offender's sentence
  • ask if you would like to be involved in any restorative justice processes (see below)

What does restorative justice involve? 

  • If appropriate, a meeting will be arranged with the offender so that he or she may apologise in person
  • An opportunity to be involved in a panel meeting where the offender meets with the panel to discuss and sign a contract of work to be completed on their order
  • Receipt of an apology letter from the victim, if agreed
  • A Family Group Conference where members of both the offender's and the victim's family attend a meeting to discuss the impact of the crime and support the offender in taking responsibility for their actions
  • A statement via email/telephone highlighting the impact of the offence

More information on Restorative Justice.

Our responsibility to you 

We will at all times:

  • respect your views
  • ensure confidentiality
  • provide a safe environment for meetings

We will not:

  • contact you again if you ask us not to 
  • put any pressure on you to meet with the offender if you do not wish to do so