In Pursuit of Paradigm: A Theory of Restorative Justice (original) (raw)

Restorative justice is a new way of looking at criminal justice that focuses on repairing the harm done to people and relationships rather than on pun-ishing offenders. Originating in the 1970s as mediation between victims and offenders, in the 1990s restorative justice broadened to include communities of care as well, with victims ’ and offenders’ families and friends participating in col-laborative processes called “conferences” and “circles. ” This new focus on healing and the related empowerment of those affected by a crime seems to have great potential for enhancing social cohesion in our increasingly disconnected societ-ies. Restorative justice and its emerging practices constitute a promising new area of study for social science. In this paper, we propose a conceptual theory of restorative justice so that social scientists may test these theoretical con-cepts and their validity in explaining and predicting the effects of restorative justice practices. The foundational postula...