Between January of 2002 and June of 2004, the Restorative Prison Project took place in the north east of England.  This project was developed and run by the International Centre for Prison Studies, but was inspired by the Inside Out Trust, which is a charity that provides needed goods to poor parts of the world.  The relation of Inside Out Trust to prisons is that the needed goods were items unwanted by others that were refurbished or rebuilt by prisoners before being sent to poor communities.  The Restorative Prison Project expanded this concept and was based around making “the prisoner put something back into society while he is serving his sentence.”

In the early stages of the project three prisons in the north east of England became pilot locations for the implementation of the projects ideas and values.  The first prison was Holme House, which is located in Middlesbrough and holds adult male prisoners.  The second was Kirklevington Grange, a facility that acts as a resettlement prison for adult males who are preparing for release after long sentences.  The final location was Deerbolt Young Offender Institution, which houses males under the age of 21.

After these prisons began using the restorative prison principles, various communities began recognizing the contributions of prisoners in their community, most noteworthy of which were Albert Park, near Middlesbrough, England, and Gateshead’s Saltwell Park.  In Albert Park, a ceremony was held to launch a publication discussing the renovations made in the park, including acknowledgement of the work done by prisoners.  The work by prisoners in Albert Park consisted of creating mosaics for the Visitor’s Center, building tables for the Visitor’s Center’s café, as well as constructing ornamental railings around the park's lake.  In Saltwell Park, prisoners from Acklington Prison and Castington Young Offenders Institution designed and built picnic tables adapted for wheelchair users, cultivated wildflowers, and also nurtured various bedding plants, trees, and shrubs throughout the park.

Once the project’s implementation was underway in England, various other programs were established in the United States and Canada.  At the Graterford State Prison in Pennsylvania, a volunteer run program was adopted to promote offender accountability and good relations with the public.  This program was offered to a wide range of offenders, including those imprisoned for murder.  The steps involved in this program were as follows:

1. Sessions to inform prisoners about the effects their crimes have on victims and society.
2. Participation in various activities, including interaction with actual victims, though not necessarily their own victims, and writing letters to their own victims or victim’s survivors.
3. The letters from step two are given to victim assistant programs who relay the letters to the victims, establishing contact between the victim and their offender.

At New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility, victim/offender groups play an important role and are facilitated by psychologists.  Before meeting with victims, offenders go through sessions where they learn to understand victim issues and prepare for what may occur when interacting with the victims.  They are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and to be sensitive to the victim’s perspective.

At the Waterloo Detention Center in Cambridge, Ontario, prerelease mediation occurs between offenders and their families.  This allows families, as well as victims and employers, to be involved in the reintegration of offenders.

Such restorative prison practices have shown a variety of benefits for both the prisoners and the victims.  An evaluation of the Manitoba project showed that the telling of personal stories between victims and offenders allowed each party to identify what the other had gone through.  Offenders were better able to express their feelings, and victims found it helpful to hear about the “broken lives” of offenders.  In Graterford, an evaluation found that the program increased awareness of the impact of crime and that it helped to promote emotional growth and sensitivity for both offenders and victims.