Victims of crime could receive personal apologies from offenders

Justice Minister Crispin Blunt said victims of crime are "frustrated" by the lack of involvement in the justice system.

A report released by two charities suggests that such a move would save the state 185m over two years by reducing re-offending.

Mr Blunt told the Observer: "I'm a maximalist when it comes to restorative justice. I want to get it into our system at every stage. It makes common sense. If you have a system that is remote, so the victim doesn't really engage, then (they become) frustrated by the lack of involvement."

He said he also supported a form of "community payback", where money earned by offenders in prison and during alternative forms of punishment is diverted to their victims.

"With community payback there is a value of the labour that is being done and that value should be cashed and should be going back to the victim," he said.

Last week, Mr Blunt was overruled by Downing Street after he announced plans to allow prisoners to hold party nights in jail.

In a humiliating slapdown, Number 10 contacted the MoJ after Mr Blunt announced he was lifting a ban on arts events such as comedy workshops and fancy dress parties.

Victim Support and the Restorative Justice Consortium (RJC) praised Mr Blunt's proposals for restorative justice and said victims would be empowered by the move.

An RJC spokesman said: "Victims of crime benefit from restorative justice by being given the chance to tell offenders the real impact of their crime, to get answers to their questions as well as being

more likely to receive an apology."

The charities said restorative justice cut the rate of re-offending by 27 per cent, saving 185m over two years.

An MoJ spokesman said: "The Government is committed to intelligent sentencing... We are considering the role restorative justice can play as part of our review of sentencing policy."