For the past two years, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has worked with her specialist team and Sussex Police to develop and embed Immediate Justice into Sussex communities, with astonishingly high levels of success. As previous Government funding is not being continued, PCC Bourne has decided to offer funding from her office to continue supporting the innovative reparative scheme within the county, to ensure every community continues to reap the benefits of offenders making amends for their actions by fixing the harm caused.
In 2024, PCC Bourne’s Safer In Sussex survey asked residents about their crime concerns, awareness of provisions and thoughts on safety initiatives. Antisocial behaviour (ASB) sat as the top concern (32%) with respondents also listing effective initiatives to tackle ASB as a desire to make their local communities safer. These results, paired with the success of Immediate Justice and consultation when the programme began, made the decision to extend funding clear cut.
Speaking about reparative programmes for ASB in Sussex, PCC Katy Bourne said:
“We have a proven track record of creating successful, innovative crime prevention interventions for young people in Sussex. In previous years, our award-winning REBOOT programme changed the lives of hundreds of teenagers by focusing on their talent and ambition rather than their poor behaviour. This approach pulled many of them back from the brink of harmful, criminal activities and from associating with bad influencers.
“However, in cases where real harm or damage has been caused to people, property and public spaces, there was a clear need for a more visible and reparative route. Graffiti and damaged public facilities, from bus stops to park benches, re-inforces the impression of an area on a downward spiral and we all recognise that unaddressed antisocial behaviour will intimidate people. If our honest, hardworking residents and older or more vulnerable citizens see no consequences for vandals and shoplifters, it undermines their confidence in criminal justice and policing in particular.
“That’s why I bid for Sussex to be one of the trailblazer pilot areas for the previous Government’s Immediate Justice programme. With funding provided for two years, the programme was designed and developed locally to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour and to give local people the confidence to report it when they see it, reassured that there would be consequences for such offences.
“We recruited Superintendent Andy Saville of Sussex Police to establish and lead the Immediate Justice Taskforce. It launched in July 2023 alongside a public consultation asking local people what activity they wanted offenders to do? The results showed that residents wanted to see offenders clearing up weeds and litter and cleaning graffiti from walls. It was interesting that a majority of people also told us that they would prefer to see contrition and a change in behaviour rather than the criminalisation of young people in particular.”
Most current Sussex IJ referrals are for youths aged 11-17. However Sussex, has also had over 70 adults come through the programme. Typical offences are assaults, criminal damage and vandalism, theft from shops, drug possession and public order offences. By the end of 2024, the IJ Taskforce had dealt with over 416 referrals with incredibly high compliance rates for reparative activities.
Victims who have seen IJ repair the harm and damage caused to them mention the positive benefits of the scheme:
- “It’s good to see action being taken as often nothing is done”
- “I’m glad this incident was taken seriously and that you’re diverting young people from crime.”
- “I’m pleased they have done well and reflected, and I hope they have nothing but success and happiness going forward.”
Feedback from offenders taking part in reparation highlights that they found the activities rewarding and some have even volunteered to continue working on projects after their allotted time. More importantly, Sussex has seen very low re-offending rates post Immediate Justice.
Speaking about the success of Immediate Justice in Sussex, Superintendent Saville said: “Immediate Justice in Sussex has seen offenders of antisocial behaviour held accountable for their actions, whilst providing victims and communities with a voice in how they would like the harm and damage caused to be repaired. Sussex Police recognises the devastating impact antisocial behaviour can have, and are committed to making our communities even safer. I encourage anyone experiencing or witnessing antisocial behaviour to report it - online, via 101 or 999 in the case of an emergency.”
As Immediate Justice government funding ends, PCC Katy Bourne will continue funding the programme, allowing successful reparation already underway to continue in Sussex.
Reparative work will sit as ‘business as usual’ for Sussex Youth Justice Services and adult referrals will be supervised by Red Snapper Managed Services, who have a long-standing track record of providing excellent support to the taskforce in Sussex.
IJ programme Manager, Neil Worth reflects on the success of IJ to date and the plans for reparative activity to continue in Sussex: "I'm proud of the work carried out through Immediate Justice in Sussex - communities have seen reductions in antisocial behaviour with harm and damage caused repaired within swift timeframes.
"The work of all partners and service providers has played a crucial role in the success of the programme, from working with victims of ASB to offer support and guidance through a challenging time, to being on-the-ground with offenders having vital discussions with them about how their actions has caused someone or a community distress. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in making Immediate Justice the success it is in Sussex.
“I, and the team, am grateful for the Commissioner’s continuous support throughout the entirety of the programme and look forward to seeing reparative activity continue with the extended funding.”
You can find out more about Immediate Justice in Sussex here: https://www.sussex-pcc.gov.uk/pcc-priorities/partnership-working/immediate-justice/
