NCJ Number
175829
Date Published
1997
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Restorative justice is defined as a response to crime that invites and enables victims, offenders, and the community to repair some of the injuries resulting from crime and as a set of processes that can take place within or outside the formal criminal justice system.
Abstract
Restorative justice programs have evolved in a range of practice methods that include mediation, reparation, compensation, community service, victim awareness education, and shaming and reintegration. A survey of probation services in England, Wales, and Ireland, and social work services in Scotland indicates concepts of restorative justice receive considerable discussion and attention but their actual impact on practice is limited. There is a clear hierarchy of responses to varying concepts of restorative justice that is based on victim awareness, reparation (indirect and direct), mediation, compensation, and shaming. The higher the concepts are in the hierarchy, the wider the level of acceptance and incorporation into practice. Therefore, victim awareness is widely accepted and is being adopted at various stages of the criminal justice process, whereas shaming is either not fully understood or rejected. Restorative justice practices are described as they are followed in pre-court programs, bail arrangements, and sentence- based programs. 7 references and 4 tables