South African shock as alleged rape victim charged
November 18, 2010
The alleged rape happened earlier this month in a school east of Johannesburg in front of other pupils who filmed the incident on their phones. Prosecutors said rape charges were dropped because of a lack of evidence. However, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it had decided all...
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Rethinking the politics of crime
November 14, 2010
In an effort to encourage greater reflection within the field of criminal justice, Trial and Error in Criminal Justice Reform tells the stories of several criminal justice programs that have experienced both success and failure, including drug courts, Operation Ceasefire and D.A.R.E. The...
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Monetary relief for rape victims soon
November 14, 2010
The plan — mooted by the ministry of women and child development (WCD) — has been cleared by the expenditure finance committee and awaits a nod by the finance ministry. The proposal entails creation of a corpus of Rs 150 crore. Under the scheme, victims will receive interim...
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Restorative justice after mass violence: Opportunities and risks for children and youth
November 14, 2010
We argue that procedural forms of restorative justice, involving redress by offenders, face considerable challenges because communities and governments often lack the coercive capacity or will to hold offenders accountable. In contexts where accountability is lacking we argue that pressuring...
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New law compensates ‘cold case’ victims
November 7, 2010
“It is my understanding that the law that went into effect is the first law in the country that specifically recognizes cold case homicide victims under victim’s compensation statutes,” Cushing said. “I am proud that New Hampshire is on the leading edge of meeting the...
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Restorative justice, forgiveness, and victims of crime
November 7, 2010
Additionally, rather than the understanding of forgiveness to which many add the concept of forgetting, Trudy Govier (2002, p. 61) argues that “The memories that accompany forgiveness will be memories that exclude resentment and allow us to ‘let go’ while retaining the...
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A tale of two prisoners
November 7, 2010
Melendez was sentenced to death for the 1983 murder of a Florida hairdresser, although he denied knowing the victim and no physical evidence linked him to the crime. He was exonerated in 2002 after his attorneys found evidence in the original trial record that another man had confessed to the...
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The limits of Colombia’s demobilization programs
November 7, 2010
Colombia’s attempt to connect DDR with a restorative justice process through the Justice and Peace law is unique indeed. However, the current situation indicates that putting this policy into practice is difficult, as Justice and Peace is understaffed and underfunded. The presence of...
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Retributivism and Restorative Justice
November 7, 2010
To measure that, they conducted a survey in which they asked respondents’ opinions on victims and on offenders, assessing their support for each framework. They also inquired about their political opinion (on a conservative to liberal scale). To measure gut reactions, rather than calm...
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Prisoners should have right to vote says crime victim
November 3, 2010
Margaret says she agrees with the announcement that some prisoners will be given the right to vote. “These offenders are just human beings like anybody else,” she says. “It is very much about getting those people back into society.” Margaret decided to go to Preston...
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Giving time instead of doing time, offenders save the city $65,000
November 2, 2010
The mural is a colorful symbol of a judicial process that works so well in Seattle it has set a standard for other cities. Community Court responds to chronic low-level nonviolent offenders by leading them to reconnect with the community in a positive way…. Essential to this kind of...
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Axing the Youth Justice Board could be a bold step
November 2, 2010
Use of restorative justice should be part of this strategy as a first step for most child offenders, as in Northern Ireland. The forthcoming sentencing green paper should include proposals to reverse the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1994 that extended the powers of the courts to...
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Social work and restorative justice
October 31, 2010
One of the most evident intersections of restorative justice and social work is in the foundational issue of values. Moreover, their ultimate goal is similar: to help build and maintain healthy individuals, relationships and communities. Restorative justice offers a framework and a set of...
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