Synopses & Reviews
This book brings together a selection of papers originally presented and discussed at the fourth international restorative justice conference, held at the University of T bingen. The contributors include many of the leading authorities in the field of restorative justice, and they provide a comprehensive review of the theoretical foundations underlying this rapidly expanding movement. Restorative Justice: Theoretical foundations addresses a wide range of fundamental questions about restorative justice, considering amongst other things ways in which conceptual pitfalls can be avoided, and how traditional models of peacemaking and healing developed in traditional societies can be integrated into the justice systems of late modern societies. Overall it provides an authoritative overview of contemporary thinking about restorative justice and will be essential reading for anybody concerned with the future direction of criminal justice and criminal justice systems. leading world authorities address the theoretical foundations of restorative justicea rapidly expanding area within criminal justiceincludes chapters on restorative justice as applied to corporate crime, family violence and cases of extreme violence
Synopsis
Unlike the laws found in today's societies, the laws of more primitive societies used monetary evaluations for most offenses as compensation to the victim, not the punishment of the criminal. This approach was rediscovered in the 1970s, and substantive efforts were made to reintroduce these forms of restorative justice worldwide.
Nonetheless, most criminal justice systems continue to favor a punitive approach, which has resulted in record-high incarceration rates. This book argues that the punitive approach is both counterproductive and damaging and that restorative justice can improve the relationship between the criminal, the victim, the community, and society at large. It is the right method for developing good criminal justice policies which will not harm but rather improve the quality of life in today's communities.