Should DUI mug shots be on Facebook?
February 7, 2011
Aside from these concerns, Christians do well to remember the words of Paul: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong†(1 Corinthians 1:27). We might recall how even the righteous Joseph balked at...
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Interview with Debbie, a rape victim of Robert Power
February 4, 2011
When I first thought of the prospect that Robert had a pen pal, I thought of these “nut jobs†that fall in love with prison inmates. Although I had forgiven him, I couldn’t see how or why someone would want to call him a friend. Even now as I sit and write this, I...
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Laura’s Law: Remembering the victims of violence
February 4, 2011
In 2001 I lived near the town where this violence broke out and subsequently met the Wilcox’s. I wrote a commentary for the local paper sharing some of my thoughts about the violence, the gunman, and restorative justice. I was at the hearing of Scott Thorpe as the court decided his...
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No script for the journey
February 2, 2011
Now I do work with a “scripted†form of conferencing, but what I’ve learned is that no two pre-conferences or conferences are alike. I cannot predict outcome or how the participants will interact. The few times I’ve tried I was really wrong. In one case, my...
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Database Abstracts Added in January
January 29, 2011
Aldehaib, Amel (2010). Sudan’s comprehensive peace agreement viewed through the eyes of the women of South Sudan Wynberg South Africa the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation Artinopoulou, Vasso (2010). Victim offender mediation in cases of domestic violence — the Greek...
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Database Abstracts Added in February
January 29, 2011
Baldry, Eileen (2009). Prisons and vulnerable persons: Institutions and patriarchy. Australia and New Zealand Critical Criminology Conference 2009: Conference Proceedings. Pg. 18-30. Banjoko, Ajamu A. (2011). Restorative discipline as an alternate to retributive discipline within the juvenile...
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Martin Luther King and making amends
January 28, 2011
“We’ve been doing community service for years,†Justice Ferdinand said. “Where other courts do it as punishment, we do it as a sense of restorative justice, giving back to the community. I tell people, ‘It’s not a punishment that I’m making you do,...
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Apologies help heal
January 28, 2011
Now we have some hopeful news that perhaps some of those bullies have learned as well. Several students from the victim’s Maple Ridge high school have gone through a restorative justice program after making inappropriate comments online. They have since apologized to the victim,...
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The national empathy divide
January 28, 2011
Rupert Ross, in his seminal book on restorative justice, Returning to the Teachings, calls this process “sacred justice.” “The peacemaker is thus an investigator, a teacher and a guide,” writes Ross. His or her primary responsibility “is to help each person come...
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Restorative justice: Why I confronted the man who raped me
January 28, 2011
The meeting between the two took place five years after the rape, part of a restorative justice programme that allows victims of crime to talk to the person responsible. For minor crimes the meeting can replace a custodial sentence, but for rape and murder it will never replace prison —...
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Guns, restorative justice and violence prevention
January 28, 2011
I have thought recently that gun ownership is becoming a symbol in the U.S. of political correctness. Two things reminded me of this since the shooting of Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords and the 19 others injured, six fatally, in Tucson. Since the Tucson shootings a high school student...
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The promise of restorative justice: New approaches for criminal justice and beyond
January 27, 2011
Three chapters stand out: in the first half two personal testimonies from the mother of a disabled daughter who was raped, and the wife of a sex offender. Both had previous knowledge of restorative principles, but applying them was not easy. For both it is unfinished business; the offender is...
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Restorative justice aims to reduce relapsing
January 26, 2011
“Studies abroad show that mediation is a mechanism that works. We are aware of the challenges posed by the Maltese context, in which mediation would be working and we are confident that it can work. There were cases of victims who felt the need to face their perpetrators,†the...
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Reintroduction of the Restorative Justice in Schools Act
January 24, 2011
Restorative justice is an innovative approach to conflict resolution which shows promising results throughout the country and abroad. It focuses on repairing the harm caused by crime and conflict rather than simply punishing the offender. Too often, we rely on harsh punishments, like...
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Rape victim faces her demon
January 23, 2011
Rape charges in the Watt case were dropped against Taylor at the time, in return for him telling investigators where in Riverhead Forest, 35km northwest of Auckland, he had buried Rankin. Taylor was last year denied parole but Watt, a month older than him and a street worker when she was...
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