Debating restorative justice
January 20, 2011
Once again we are up against different definitions. Hoyle rightly points to confusion about what is ‘restorative’ (p. 14), but says ‘Given that restorative justice is a form of punishment…’ (p. 63); many restorativists, however, would say that on the contrary it...
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Promoting previously unthinkable ways
January 18, 2011
A Starting Point? People have a deep sense of fairness that gets lost in rivalrous and destructive relationships. The restorative task then is about creating atmospheres and structures where people experience being restored in a more human manner, regaining a sense of fairness, listening...
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The story is true
January 17, 2011
Journalism – and especially television – presents events as stories; it utilizes stereotypical templates to impose a sense of order and completeness on information and the result is often incomplete and even misleading. ….Our lives, and most events, do not unfold in an...
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Youth justice report claims restorative justice would be more effective than courts
January 17, 2011
They also save money in court time and the cost of custody as well as proving more effective in helping victims deal with their ordeal. Compiled by human rights group Justice and the charity The Police Foundation for the Nuffield Foundation’s Independent Commission on Youth Crime, the...
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The Virginia Center for Restorative Justice
January 17, 2011
Not much changed at the jail, but this visit had a profound impact on Judy. It led her to be instrumental in establishing a restorative program in the Richmond Juvenile Court, even before restorative justice was a common term. She helped facilitate victim and offender conferencing until she...
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Ahern to expand restorative justice scheme
January 17, 2011
Restorative justice is a rehabilitative alternative to custody, providing a forum for victim redress. It is a model where victims of crime and those who committed the offence can communicate with each other through a voluntary and facilitated process. The scheme’s objective is to...
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Restorative justice measures could change trader attitudes
January 16, 2011
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has launched a consultation on the pilot scheme this month. “The restorative justice aspect of this creates the opportunity for businesses to put past breaches of the law right,†Marks says. This will create the conditions for an important shift in...
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Governor Jerry Brown: Can he support restorative justice?
January 11, 2011
There are many reasons for this but one is that Brown is a pragmatic politician. He supports what works and tends to dismiss what doesn’t. He is willing to explore new ways of solving difficult problems. Former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to “blow up the boxes,” a...
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[More sensible ideas from the US!] Prison reform: A smart way for states to save money and lives
January 10, 2011
….Our prisons might be worth the current cost if the recidivism rate were not so high, but, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, half of the prisoners released this year are expected to be back in prison within three years. If our prison policies are failing half of the time,...
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We can write the stories of peace with our lives
January 10, 2011
Developed and first implemented by the Sierra Leonean human rights organization, Forum of Conscience, and the U.S.-based operating foundation, Catalyst for Peace, Fambul Tok incorporated as an international non-governmental organization, Fambul Tok International (FTI), in late 2009, with the...
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Restorative justice: My experience
January 2, 2011
I didn’t see the key, but I felt it. He punched it, secured between two fingers, into my face, straight between my eye and my nose. It was excruciating. My tear duct sliced in two. My orbit – the bony sheath surrounding my eye – shattered with the pressure. It sent me...
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Can restorative processes serve people with limitations?
January 2, 2011
The restorative justice process may be one of the best options for people with limitations who encounter conflict. It is a process designed to create time and space for supporting the needs of those whom it serves. Being aware of the details of Daudi’s case, I believe that it would have...
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Crossing the divide
January 2, 2011
Can a similar outcome be avoided with the restorative justice movement? I don’t know the answer, but I do think the likelihood of such unintended consequences might be reduced if restorative justice can encourage a dialogue about our needs, obligations, values and goals. One way to...
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Restorative justice project for greater Toronto area Muslim community
January 2, 2011
The project is a short term pilot that seeks to engage people from Toronto’s diverse Muslim community and the criminal justice system. The initial focus of the project is youth crime and simple assault incidents. ….The program will engage a network of 20 trained facilitators and 3...
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Restorative Justice: the case for wider adoption
January 2, 2011
It is remarkably cost-effective and can be implemented effectively. Increasingly, it commands the conï¬ dence of police forces and other key players in the criminal justice system. In the words of a senior police ofï¬ cer, RJ is not policing done to people but done with people. It...
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