Source: (1996) In: B. Galaway and J. Hudson (eds.), Restorative Justice: International Perspectives. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press, pp. 117-133.
This chapter approaches restorative justice from the perspectives of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Michel Foucault. Restorative justice practices are compared and contrasted with more conventional sanctions, and a variety of issues are raised for restorative justice advocates to consider. These issues include the questionability of satisfying community outrage through restorative practice; the need to address underlying contradictions; the potentialities for co-optation, goal displacement, and net-widening; and a need to overcome the alienation of community members from punishment processes. Any response to crime is founded upon and guided by emotionally-laden moral values. Restorative justice is a desirable alternative to traditional sanctions to the degree that the values which inform restorative justice can be realized in practice.
Your donation helps Prison Fellowship International repair the harm caused by crime by emphasizing accountability, forgiveness, and making amends for prisoners and those affected by their actions. When victims, offenders, and community members meet to decide how to do that, the results are transformational.
Donate Now