Redefining justice: The framing of contemporary restorative justice in film.

Source: (2010) Thesis for Master of Arts. Department of Sociology. University of Manitoba.

My thesis examines how the contemporary restorative justice movement frames itself
in educational, informational and training films, in an attempt to broaden its appeal and
advance its acceptance and implementation, particularly within a culture of crime control
where retribution and punishment are hegemonic. I examine contemporary restorative justice,
first through an acknowledgement of its varied and diverse roots as well as through its
entrenchment within the dominantly punitive criminal justice system. Contemporary
restorative justice is often referred to as a social movement, and as such it maintains a capacity
to reshape the current discursive terrain and transform criminal justice culture. Snow and
Benford (1986, 1988) assert that social movements disrupt hegemonic discourses and practices
through frame alignment tasks (diagnostic, prognostic and motivational framing) and frame
alignment processes (bridging, amplification, extension and transformation). I examine how
the contemporary restorative justice movement utilizes these tasks and processes in
information, educational and training films, in its effort to advance an alternative perspective of
criminal justice. (author’s abstract)