NCJ Number
171292
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 36 Issue: 3 Dated: (August 1997) Pages: 237-247
Date Published
1997
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article examines issues regarding approaches to probation, as raised by Mike Nellis in 1995 and considered further in a debate in the Howard Journal, and suggests an approach for implementing restorative justice in England and Wales.
Abstract
The discussion focuses on the following three themes within the debate regarding probation values for the 1990s: restorative justice, relational justice, and reintegrative shaming. Nellis argued for a reconstructed probation service that would offer services to both the offender and the victim. It would become a restorative agency in that its role would include the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders, support for victims, and programs that would try to offer a restorative solution to some offenses. Spencer and James note that restorative justice is incompatible with the existing system of retribution. James also argues that victim-offender mediation is offender-centered, although it claims to empower victims. Other have introduced restorative justice programs and have had positive experiences. Analysis of these issues and other countries' experiences suggests that the implementation of restorative justice in England and Wales would be desirable. Introducing restorative practice into English schools would prepare the way for extending the wider practice of restorative values in the community, starting with juvenile justice. Notes and 65 references (Author abstract modified)