Restorative Practices in Institutional Settings: The Challenges of Contractualised Support within the Managed Community of Supported Housing

Abstract

Supported housing services provide help to some of the most vulnerable in society, yet across the world face increasing pressures from residualisation in the form of service reduction and stretched budgets. In response to these challenges, providers of supported housing and other similar community-focused services have sought alternative and innovative methods of engagement. This paper reports on one such example, the Restorative Communities Programme, which took place in 2018 in a residential supported housing setting for males aged 16–25. Designed as a five-week programme, it aimed to offer a proactive intervention promoting the benefits of restorative thinking. The research team observed the sessions and conducted follow-up qualitative interviews after two weeks and one year. This paper considers the challenges and success of the programme, reflecting particularly on issues of contractualised support and its impact on participation, and the dynamics of running such programs within the ‘managed community’ of a supported housing project. As such, the paper provides a useful analysis for others exploring the development and use of restorative projects in institutional settings, such as prisons, probation, and schools, and particularly those services struggling with the pressures of residualisation.

Restorative Practice in the Criminal Justice System: Examining a Restorative Reasoning Programme in a Women’s Prison

“…Prisons serve as a legitimate source of control, where those imprisoned can feel obligated to obey rules, express moral value alignment with staff, and live by a set of rules that are followed within the prison, all to be exercised through fair use of authority. These institutional settings, however, can present a challenge to restorative programmes and the need for participants to enter into those processes willingly (Hobson et al 2021). In this instance, we briefly talk about three challenges: willing participation; power imbalances; and evidencing success.…”

“…Accessibility reflects the degree to which programmes are inclusive and open to participants that want to engage, and feasibility in this context is a measure of 'whether or not the crime prevention intervention was implemented as it was originally designed' (Rummens et al 2016, p. 21). Claes and Shapland (2016) emphasise the importance of restorative work as inclusive; however, engaging with communities in institutional settings such as prisons can present a challenge (Hobson et al 2021). Czerniawski (2016) proposes two sets of dispositional barriers within the prison system in England and Wales: the first includes disadvantaged childhoods, previous educational failure, low self-esteem, mental health disabilities and drug and alcohol abuse; the second includes institutional and situational factors and barriers such as overcrowding, classroom space, ration of learners to teachers, limited curriculums, and shortage of resources such as computer.…”

“…In forensic mental health settings, restorative approaches have been found to support the "opportunity to process emotions and develop a coherent narrative about experience" (Cook et al 2015, p. 15), and are increasingly seen in 'restorative wards', in which care aims to embed restorative principles and approaches in day to day practice for both staff and patients (Drennan and Cooper 2018). In supported housing, restorative programmes are being used to support residents often struggling with complex and overlapping needs in developing personal and interpersonal skills (Hobson et al 2021).…”

Restorative Justice, Youth Violence, and Policing: A Review of the Evidence

“…Outside of the formal criminal justice setting, there are also a wide range of community-based schemes that engage with specific groups, particularly young people, to help address problem/offending behaviours (Eriksson 2009). This includes work in supported housing (Hobson et al 2021) and social work with families, children, and young people (Roche 2006).…”

‘Spaces’ for restorative development: international case studies on restorative services

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This paper examines the concept of the 'spaces' into which restorative services develop (Vaandering 2014;Braithwaite, 2016;Maglione, 2019;Hobson et al, 2021). We conceptualise such 'spaces' as: social, the people and communities; as political, the will for developments; as physical, the geography and facilities; and as economic, dependent on the resources available.

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