Source: (2001) Federal Probation 65 (1, June): 33-39. Downloaded 8 March 2005.
Many changes in criminal justice in recent decades have been precipitated by the victims’ rights movement. Various observers have argued that this movement was a prime factor in the emergence of restorative justice. At the same time, some maintain that the victims’ rights movement inhibits the transformation of the criminal justice system into a restorative system. In this context, Sarnoff examines inherent difficulties in putting a restorative justice model into practice. She asks whether changes in the criminal justice system restore justice or restore victims? She considers types of cases most suited and least suited to restorative processes. She explores potential applications of restorative justice, and changes needed to implement restorative justice. And she concludes with the role of the community in restorative perspectives and practices.
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