Empowering communities through restorative justice.

Source: (2010) In, Katherine Doolin, et. al, eds., Whose criminal justice? State or community?. Hook, Hampshire: Waterside Press. Pp. 143-157.

…[T]he focus of this chapter is to consider the potential for, and challenges to, engaging and empowering communities through restorative justice. It is not to provide an assessment examples of restorative justice practice. Rather the intention is to explore some of the main issues underpinning the involvement of the community as a stakeholder in restorative processes raises a number of important questions, which the chapter deals with in turn. What is the nature of the community’s needs and responsibilities in restorative justice? How can communities be empowered through restorative processes? What are the challenges and limitations to involving communities in restorative responses? How can a balance be struck regarding the relationship between state and community in developing restorative processes? Much of the discussion regarding the roles and responsibilities of communities, and possible challenges and limitations to community involvement in responses to crime will find resonance in some of the other chapters in this volume. (excerpt)