Offence Resolution Programme
The Offence Resolution Programme (ORP) was initially funded for a two year period, match funded by the Scottish Borders Council, Dept. of Social Work and Lothian and Borders Police as part of the Force's Community Initiative Strategy. Research had indicated that often, young people's offending was not being addressed directly at the earliest opportunity and as a result significant numbers were entering the adult criminal justice system.
Since its introduction in 1998 the Programme has proven to be successful in reducing offending behaviour and has now become a permanent aspect of the Social Work Department's Youth Offending Service.
The objective of the Programme is to divert young people away from the Children's Hearing system and over the long term, preventing young people from entering the Adult Criminal Justice system.
A fundamental difference is that the programme is imbedded in Restorative Justice principles whereby the injured party (victim) of the offences has some input into what happens to offenders and to ensure their views are considered in the resolution of the crime.
The programme works towards three main aims:
- to reduce the likelihood of re-offending for those aged 8 - 16 who have committed an offence
- to support a resolution between the parties involved in an offence and to offer support to those affected by offending behaviour. Operating as a voluntary process, both the offender and the victim are contacted and asked whether they would be willing to engage in a face-face meeting or other method of resolution
- Depending on the outcome, an appropriate plan is devised with the main focus being that the young person gains an understanding of the consequences of their offence and the impact crime has on the community
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