Restorative Justice Council launches national, independent programme for Horizon Scandal

The Restorative Justice Council has today launched its national, independent restorative justice programme for the Horizon IT Scandal.

The voluntary programme is for postmasters harmed during the Horizon IT Scandal and their children and families. It is open to those who were affected by either the Horizon or the Capture IT systems.

The launch of the long-term programme follows a pilot which took place between October 2025 and March 2026. During the pilot, the Restorative Justice Council engaged with over 250 people to ensure the programme was developed with those who were harmed.

The Restorative Justice Council has today set out the findings from the pilot and full details of the programme in its report, Rebuilding Trust: Designing a Restorative Justice Programme with Those Harmed.

There are several options for those who wish to take part in restorative justice, including meetings with representatives from the Department of Business and Trade, Fujitsu or Post Office. These meetings would be facilitated by the Restorative Justice Council to ensure they were safe and suitable for the participants.

Alternatively, for those people who do not want a face-to-face meeting, other options include wellbeing support, listening sessions, or indirect, shuttle communication with the organisations who harmed them, for example through letters.

The programme will begin in April 2026 and is funded initially for five-years. It is jointly funded by the Department for Business and Trade, Fujitsu, and Post Office but will be delivered independently by the Restorative Justice Council.

Commenting on the announcement, Post Office CEO, Neil Brocklehurst,  said: 
“During the Horizon Scandal, this organisation caused profound harm to postmasters and their families, and we must acknowledge that honestly and with humility. This long-term restorative justice programme is an important part of the ongoing culture change at Post Office.

“I am grateful for the Restorative Justice Council’s independence and experience as it brings us together with those who were harmed so we can work with them to move forward.”

Jim Simon, Chief Executive of the Restorative Justice Council, said:

“This report marks a shift from listening to action. What people have told us is clear: restorative justice must be independent, carefully bounded, and shaped by lived experience.

Postmasters, their children and families have been clear that the harm they experienced did not stop with the original failures. It shaped family life, childhoods, reputations and trust in ways that continue today.

Restorative justice cannot undo what happened, and it cannot replace legal or redress processes. What it can do is create safe, voluntary spaces for truthtelling, responsibility and dignity, on people’s own terms, without causing further harm.”

Notes to editors

The full report from the Restorative Justice Council, Rebuilding Trust: Designing a Restorative Justice Programme with Those Harmed, is available at: https://restorativejustice.org.uk/resources/horizon-project-report-rebuilding-trust-designing-restorative-justice-programme-those

About the Horizon Project

The Restorative Justice Council launched the Horizon Project in September 2025, a restorative justice programme for individuals affected by the Horizon IT Scandal.

More information on the project and how to be involved is available here.

The project is jointly funded by the Department for Business and Trade, Fujitsu and Post Office but the Restorative Justice Council is an independent organisation.