Restorative justice and dialogue: impact, opportunities, and challenges in the global community.

Source: (2011) Washington University Journal of Law and Policy. 36:65-89.

From its humble beginnings in the mid-1970s, the principles and practices of restorative justice have become a social movement in the twenty-first century, with an ever increasing presence in and impact on the global community. Rooted in the juvenile justice systems of North America, with a focus on non-violent property crimes, restorative justice policy and practice are now present at virtually all levels of adult and juvenile justice systems, even handling severely violent crimes. (1) Restorative justice and dialogue have now moved far beyond the justice systems of the world and are found in school settings, workplaces, faith communities, and even in the context of deeply-entrenched political violence, such as in Israel and Palestine, and in post-conflict societies such as Northern Ireland, South Africa, Liberia, and Rwanda. (2) This Article will provide a review of the restorative justice movement, of how it is developing in various policies and practices, of what we have learned from research, and of the specific opportunities and challenges facing the movement. (author’s abstract)