Source: (2002) In Restorative Justice and its Relation to the Criminal Justice System: Papers from the second conference of the European Forum for Victim-Offender Mediation and Restorative Justice, Oostende, Belgium, 10-12 October. Pp. 97-102. Downloaded 23 February 2005.
Traditionally, restorative justice is thought of as something that occurs after a crime has been
committed. It is considered a particular process, or practice, which takes place either within
the criminal justice system or as a form of diversion from that system. This paper will challenge some of these assumptions, explore some more radical possibilities for the development of restorative justice, examine their advantages and alert to potential problems and dangers.
I want to begin with an attempt to clarify exactly what we mean by ‘restorative justice outside the criminal justice system.’ Are we talking about particular programs, practices, or processes? Or are we talking about something much broader xe2x80x93 a particular philosophy, a particular set of values, a particular way of thinking about the world and relating to others?
The first part of this paper will attempt to deal with the question xe2x80x98how far can we go?xe2x80x99, while
conceptualising restorative justice as a particular practice. The second part will use the term
‘restorative justice’in a much broader sense. (excerpt)
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