Criminology, Conflict Resolution and Restorative Justice

Source: (2003) Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK and New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan.

This book consists of a collection of essays exploring, from different angles, the intersection of criminology, conflict resolution, and restorative justice. The genesis of the collection stemmed from the editors’ perception that criminology has failed to engage in a substantive way with the processes of conflict resolution. Hence, the editors have gathered essays written by a number of people – essays that seek to link criminology with conflict resolution theory and practice. Several essays therefore deal with criminology and conflict resolution at the macro-level; namely, with respect to issues at national and international levels (e.g., transition in South African, conflict in Northern Ireland, and human rights in Africa). Other essays explore criminology and conflict resolution at the micro-level as well; namely, in criminal justice systems within countries as those systems function to address conflict in communities, in villages, and between individuals. Thus, this book brings together not only criminology and conflict resolution, but also restorative justice as an approach to dealing with conflicts and harms between people – with all three of these fields or perspectives being applied at both macro- and micro-levels of conflict and wrongdoing. The list of contributors includes experts in law, criminology, and restorative justice from the United Kingdom and the United States.