Source: (2000) Relational Justice Bulletin. January (5): 3. Downloaded 15 May 2003.
Joshua Bamfield, a director of retail research in Nottingham, England, takes a look in this article at restitution for store thieves. Theft from stores is a significant social and economic problem. The numbers and variety of people involved in stealing from stores make it difficult for the police and the criminal justice system to deal with the offenders. One response by retailers is to use the civil law – based on the law of tort – to provide an additional sanction. ‘Retail civil recovery’ is the attempt to recover the cost of crime directly from the offender through some form of restitution. Bamfield discusses the nature and process of this civil recovery program as an example of relational justice.
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