, Lecture Outline
•A short history of restorative justice
• From retributive justice to restorative
justice
• Restorative justice in practice
Examples of RJ programmes ‘
Victims’ experiences of restorative
justice
• Potential problems and concerns
• Debates on the suitability of RJ:
Case study I: RJ and violence against
women
Case study II: RJ in cases of serious
and organized crime (SOC)
, A Short History of Restorative Justice (I)
• Long history of ‘informal’ or community resolution of
disputes and conflicts in most cultures, involving mediation
and restitution
• Origins in criminology, not victimology → ‘Justice
mechanism to address crime’
• 1974: First victim-offender mediation scheme Ontario,
Canada
• 1975: ‘Restorative justice’ first used in its modern iteration
by psychologist Albert Eglash
• 1989: New Zealand passes the Children, Young Persons, and
Their Families Act in response to pressure from Maori
activists, marking the first formal use of Family Group
Conferencing.
• 1983: First UK scheme taken up by South Yorkshire Probatio
Service
• 1984: Victim Support sets up ‘Forum for Initiatives in
Reparation and Mediation’ → Later re-launched as ‘Mediati
UK’
• 1985-87: Home Office funded pilot programmes in Cumbria,
Leeds, Wolverhampton and Coventry
•A short history of restorative justice
• From retributive justice to restorative
justice
• Restorative justice in practice
Examples of RJ programmes ‘
Victims’ experiences of restorative
justice
• Potential problems and concerns
• Debates on the suitability of RJ:
Case study I: RJ and violence against
women
Case study II: RJ in cases of serious
and organized crime (SOC)
, A Short History of Restorative Justice (I)
• Long history of ‘informal’ or community resolution of
disputes and conflicts in most cultures, involving mediation
and restitution
• Origins in criminology, not victimology → ‘Justice
mechanism to address crime’
• 1974: First victim-offender mediation scheme Ontario,
Canada
• 1975: ‘Restorative justice’ first used in its modern iteration
by psychologist Albert Eglash
• 1989: New Zealand passes the Children, Young Persons, and
Their Families Act in response to pressure from Maori
activists, marking the first formal use of Family Group
Conferencing.
• 1983: First UK scheme taken up by South Yorkshire Probatio
Service
• 1984: Victim Support sets up ‘Forum for Initiatives in
Reparation and Mediation’ → Later re-launched as ‘Mediati
UK’
• 1985-87: Home Office funded pilot programmes in Cumbria,
Leeds, Wolverhampton and Coventry
