Rewriting and reclaiming history: An analysis of the emergence of restorative justice in western criminal justice systems

Source: (2009) International Journa of Restorative Justice vol 5, No 1

During the last three decades, restorative justice has emerged in
numerous localities around the world as an accepted approach to
responding to crime. This article, which stems from a doctoral study
on the history of restorative justice, provides a critical analysis of
accepted histories of restorative practices. It revisits the celebrated
historical texts of the restorative justice movement, and re-evaluates
their contribution to the emergence of restorative justice measures.
It…views on restorative justice. Finally, this article argues that some histories of
restorative justice selectively and inaccurately portray key figures
from the history of criminology as restorative justice supporters. This,
it is argued, gives restorative justice a false lineage and operates to
legitimise the widespread adoption of restorative justice around the
globe.