This book, based on papers presented at the 5th international conference held at Leuven, Belgium in 2002, aims to provide an overview of recent experience of restorative justice.

This book addresses a number of key themes and developments in restorative justice, and is based on papers originally presented at the 6th International Conference on Restorative Justice in Vancouver. It is concerned with several new areas of practice within restorative justice, with sections on restorative justice and youth, aboriginal justice and restorative justice, victimization and restorative justice, and evaluating restorative justice. Contributors to the book are drawn from leading experts in the field from the UK, US, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

This book provides a comprehensive and authoritative account and analysis of restorative justice, one of the most rapidly growing phenomena in the field of criminology and justice studies. This book aims to meet the need for a comprehensive, reliable and accessible overview of the subject. It draws together leading authorities on the subject from around the world in order to: elucidate and discuss the key concepts and principles of restorative justice explain how the campaign for restorative justice arose and developed into the influential social movement it is today describe the variety of restorative justice practices, explain how they have developed in various places and contexts, and critically examine their rationales and effects identify and examine key tensions and issues within the restorative justice movement brings a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives to bear upon the understanding and assessment of restorative justice. The Handbook of Restorative Justice is essential reading for students and practitioners in the field.

Handbook of Restorative Justice is a collection of original, cutting-edge essays that offer an insightful and critical assessment of the theory, principles and practices of restorative justice around the globe. This much-awaited volume is a response to the cry of students, scholars and practitioners of restorative justice, for a comprehensive resource about a practice that is radically transforming the way the human community responds to loss, trauma and harm. Its diverse essays not only explore the various methods of responding nonviolently to harms-done by persons, groups, global corporations and nation-states, but also examine the dimensions of restorative justice in relation to criminology, victimology, traumatology and feminist studies. In addition. They contain prescriptions for how communities might re-structure their family, school and workplace life according to restorative values. This Handbook is an essential tool for every serious student of criminal, social and restorative justice.

Restorative justice has become an increasingly important element in reform and change to criminal justice systems throughout the western world, and there are many reasons for satisfaction with the progress that has been made --from the point of view of victims, offenders, the level and incidence of reoffending, and in terms of public opinion. At the same time there has been cause for concern, not least to do with the confusion on aims that has accompanied the rapid spread of restorative justice practices, an over-estimate of its possibilities, a blurring of concepts and a lack of attention to legal rights and processes. This book, based on papers presented at the 5th international conference held at Leuven, Belgium in 2002, aims to provide an overview of recent experience of restorative justice in the light of these concerns. The central theme is the positioning, or repositioning, of restorative justice in contexts where it can offer hope to communities both fearful of crime and looking for more socially constructive responses to crime. At the same time restorative justice practitioners seek definition in relation to the kinds of crime it is appropriate to apply restorative justice to, how it relates to different forms of punishment, to rehabilitation, and how it fits in with criminal justice systems and the law of different countries --how to reconcile the informal, participatory philosophy of restorative justice with formal legal processes and the need for legal safeguards.

Lode Walgrave has made a highly significant contribution to the worldwide development of the restorative justice movement over the last two decades. This book represents the culmination of his vision for restorative justice. Coming to the subject from a juvenile justice background he initially saw restorative justice as a means of escaping the rehabilitation-punishment dilemma, and as the basis for a more constructive judicial response to youth crime that had been the case hitherto. Over time his conception of restorative justice moved in the direction of focusing on repairing harm and suffering rather than ensuring that the youthful offender met with a 'just' response, and encompassing the notion that restorative justice was not so much about a justice system promoting restoration, more a matter of doing justice through restoration. This book develops Lode Walgrave's conception of restorative justice further, incorporating a number of key elements. • a clearly outcome-based definition of restorative justice • acceptance of the need to use judicial coercion to impose sanctions as part of the reparative process • presenting restorative justice as a fully fledged alternative to the punitive apriorism • development of a more sophisticated concept of the relationship between restorative justice and the law, and acceptance of the need for legal regulation • a consideration of the expansion of a restorative justice philosophy into other areas of social life and the threats and opportunities this provides • a consideration of the implications of the expansion of restorative justice for the discipline of criminology and democracy

Restorative justice aims to address the consequences of crime by encouraging victims and offenders to communicate and discuss the harm caused by the crime that has been committed. In the majority of cases, restorative justice is facilitated by direct and indirect dialogue between victims and offenders, but it also includes support networks and sometimes involves professionals such as police, lawyers, social workers or prosecutors and judges. In theory, the victim is a core participant in restorative justice and the restoration of the harm is a first concern. In practice, questions arise as to whether the victim is actively involved in the process, what restoration may entail, whether there is a risk of secondary victimisation and whether the victim is truly at the heart of the restorative response, or whether the offender remains the focal point of attention. Using a combination of victimological literature and empirical data from a European research project, this book considers the role and the position of the victim in restorative justice practices, focusing on legislative, organisational and institutional frameworks of victim-offender mediation and conferencing programmes at a national and local level, as well as the victims’ personal needs and experiences. The findings are essential reading for academics and students engaged in the study of justice, victimology and law. The publication will also be valuable to policymakers and professionals such as social workers, lawyers and mediators.

This up-to-date resource on restorative justice theory and practice is the literature’s most comprehensive and authoritative review of original research in new and contested areas. Bringing together contributors from across a range of jurisdictions, disciplines and legal traditions, this edited collection provides a concise, but critical review of existing theory and practice in restorative justice. Authors identify key developments, theoretical arguments and new empirical evidence, evaluating their merits and demerits, before turning the reader’s attention to further concerns informing and improving the future of restorative justice. Divided into four parts, the Handbook includes papers written by leading scholars on new theory, empirical evidence of implementation, critiques and the future of restorative justice. This companion is essential reading for scholars of restorative justice, criminology, social theory, psychology, law, human rights and criminal justice, as well as researchers, policymakers, practitioners and campaigners from around the world.

Presents an innovative, synergistic practice model that will help social workers use restorative justice skills to facilitate healing and recovery in the families and communities that they serve.