Introduction to this issue: International Perspectives on Restorative and Community Justice

Source: (2002) Behavioral Sciences and the Law. 20(4): 307-308.

According to Alan Tomkins and Mark Small, many legal systems around the world are seeking to accommodate to new perspectives on human behavior and notions of fairness. One example of legal system change has been the attempt to alter structures and practices to better address the overlap of justice and social concerns. The interest in restorative justice and community justice reflects this pursuit. Restorative justice and community justice represent new visions of how justice-related institutions can better address social issues that straddle and cross legal limits. In this framework, Tomkins and Small introduce this special issue of Behavioral Sciences and the Law. It contains seven articles examining different aspects of restorative and community justice. These include, for example, the context of family issues to demonstrate the need for a new paradigm of administering justice; a theoretically integrated model of penal attitudes; the use of apology in criminal proceedings; the involvement of the community in criminal justice; and the possibility of bringing the faith community together with the justice community.