Mark Smith (Why Me?) will share the journey of a Why Me? project to develop understanding and delivery of restorative justice in cases of Learning Disability and Autism (LDA) hate crime.
People with Learning Disabilities and Autism (LDA) are often victims of hate crime such as verbal abuse, assault, criminal damage, and robbery, yet many do not report it. The Why Me? Project 'Access to Justice: Delivering Restorative Justice for Learning Disability and Autism (LDA) hate crime’ looked at ways in which restorative justice could be used to address harm and be made more widely available in these cases.
Why Me? worked in partnership with Barnet Mencap and Lambeth Disability Hate Crime Partnership to deliver the project, including the development of a referral pipeline. They also worked with students from Middlesex University and actors from the Learning Disability Community to produce videos illustrating examples of how restorative justice could benefit victims of Learning Disability and Autism hate crime. Mark Smith will share the process and outcomes of the project and what they have learned from it.
Mark Smith is a Restorative Justice Coordinator at Why Me? and was project lead for the Delivering Restorative Justice for Learning Disability and Autism (LDA) hate crime project. He was a police officer in the Metropolitan Police for over 31 years, 22 of those working as a Detective. Mark spent 10 years on a murder investigation team in the East End of London where he understood how victims were treated in the judicial process. Having retired from the police, he worked for the Probation Service for almost 3 years and was introduced to restorative justice by a relative who worked on a restorative justice project in Manchester. As well as working for Why me? Mark volunteers as a facilitator for Essex Restorative Justice & Mediation Service and is an accredited practitioner with the Restorative Justice Council.
We will end the event with an opportunity for questions and discussion.
Tickets can be booked on Eventbrite for this ‘Pay As You Feel’ event. Please pay as you are able to help us cover the costs of the event (suggested contribution £5), however a free ticket option is available if you prefer: