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Community Awards

The prestigious awards were presented annually by the Howard League for Penal Reform to people and organisations whose innovative work helped to make communities safer.

For more than a decade, the Howard League presented annual awards to community projects encouraging desistance from crime. The awards have come to an end, but you can click the links on this page for information about the winners.

2022 Awards:

Policing and adults category shortlist:   

  • Police Service of Northern Ireland – City Centre Welfare and Support   
  • Winner: West Midlands Police/Office of the Police Crime Commissioner – Offender Rehabilitation Programme  
  • Runner-up: Remedi – Cumbria Pathways   

Find the Policing and adults exhibition room here.

Policing and children category shortlist:  

  • Durham Agency Against Crime – HAGGRID   
  • Winner: Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership – Operation Inclusion 
  • Durham Constabulary & Rotary One Life North-East Initiative – Shocking Behaviour Project    
  • Winner: Thames Valley Restorative Justice – School Responders Project   
  • Cleveland Police Early Intervention Coordinators – Operation Eastwood    
  • Runner-up: North Yorkshire Police – Operation Divan  

Find the Policing and children exhibition room here.

Liaison and diversion category shortlist:  

  • Winner: West Mercia Police – Steer Clear  
  • West Yorkshire L&D – Developing a co-production network   
  • Commendation: Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – Greater Manchester L&D   
  • Runner-up: The Trust for Developing Communities – Brighton Streets    
  • Runner-up: Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust – Hertfordshire Partnership  

Find the Liaison and diversion exhibition room here.

Racial disparities in youth justice category shortlist:  

  • Commendation: Sussex Police and Sussex Youth Justice Services – No Admission Pathway  
  • Winner: The Call in – Golden Key  

Find the Racial disparities in youth justice exhibition room here.

Restorative approaches category shortlist:  

  • Winner: Remedi – West Midlands Restorative Justice Project   
  • Commendation: Make Amends – Serious Violence Prevention Programme   
  • Commendation: Restorative Cleveland – Safer Communities   

Find the Restorative approaches exhibition room here.

Women category shortlist:  

  • Employment 4 All CIC – Women’s Moving On Project: Thames Valley Berkshire    
  • Winner: Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Liaison and Diversion; and Alana House; and Thames Valley Police – Enrich  
  • Runner-up: Willowdene Rehabilitation – Willowdene Women’s Whole System Approach 

Find the Women’s exhibition room here. 

Organisation of the year category shortlist:  

  • Runner-up: Foundation UK  
  • The Restore Trust Education, Training and Employment (ETE)Team    
  • Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Cleveland
  • Winner: Willowdene Rehabilitation LTD   
  • Winner: Working Chance 
  • GamCare  

Find the Organisation of the year exhibition room here.

Community Awards ceremony

The awards ceremony took place on Tuesday 22 November 2022. Catch-up on the online award ceremony below.

The judging panel included:

  • Dr Ben Bradford, Trustee, Howard League for Penal Reform (Chair)
  • Ferzana Dakri, Community Chaplain, The Straight Path Resettlement Project Leicester, and Family Engagement for Pact at HMP Leicester
  • Superintendent Stan Gilmour, LPA Commander – Reading, Thames Valley Police
  • Glyn Thomas, Head of Implementation, Liaison and Diversion Programme, NHS England
  • Nicola Tutty, National Lead for Female Pathways, Liaison and Diversion Programme, Health & Justice Team, Specialised Commissioning, NHS England
  • Catryn Yousefi, Programmes Manager, Howard League for Penal Reform

Find out more from guest blogs about the awards

  • Guest blog by Sofia Buncy, National Coordinator, Muslim Women in Prison Project, Criminal Justice Champion winner, Community Awards 2020.
  • Guest blog by Anna Hemmings, CEO, GamCare, organisation of the year winners, Community Awards 2020.
  • Guest blog by the chair of the judging panel on the launch of last year’s awards.
  • Read a blog by Neil Platt, explaining how winning a Community Award was the starting-point for the conception of the Howard League’s ground-breaking Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling. Neil Platt is Clinical Director, Beacon Counselling Trust and Commissioner, The Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling.
  • ‘Not only are the awards a great opportunity to network and grow they also provide much-needed encouragement for others who may be struggling to understand how best to move forward’ writes Superintendent Stan Gilmour, Head of the Violence Reduction Unit, Thames Valley Police in his guest blog.
  • In her guest blog, Nicola Tutty, National Implementation manager, NHS England and NHS Improvement National Liaison & Diversion programme and also a judge the Community Awards explores how the awards give the perfect opportunity to see some of the fantastic work from different projects around the country and to think about how we can best share all the innovation with other services nationally.
  • In his blog, Steve Jones, Director of Remedi, a former Community Award winner, is reflects on the last few months and on the awards themselves.
  • Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner blogs about how winning a Community Award boosted the impact of the Cleveland Divert scheme.
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