The Psychology Of Restorative Justice

This ground-breaking collection dares to take the next step in the advancement of an autonomous, inter-disciplinary restorative justice field of study. It brings together criminology, social psychology, legal theory, neuroscience, affect-script psychology, sociology, forensic mental health, political sciences, psychology and positive psychology to articulate for the first time a psychological concept of restorative justice. To this end, the book studies the power structures of the restorative justice movement, the very psychology, motivations and emotions of the practitioners who implement it as well as the drivers of its theoreticians and researchers. Furthermore, it examines the strengths and weakness of our own societies and the communities that are called to participate as parties in restorative justice. Their own biases, hunger for power and control, fears and hopes are investigated. The psychology and dynamics between those it aims to reach as well as those who are funding it, including policy makers and politicians, are looked into. All these questions lead to creating an understanding of the psychology of restorative justice. The book is essential reading for academics, researchers, policymakers, practitioners and campaigners.

This collection takes the next step in the advancement of an autonomous, inter-disciplinary restorative justice field of study and articulates for the first time a psychological concept of restorative justice. The book studies the power structures of the restorative justice movement, and the psychology of the practitioners, theoreticians and researchers who implement it, as well as the psychology of the policy makers and politicians who fund it. Furthermore, it examines the strengths and weakness of our own societies and the communities that are called to participate as parties in restorative justice.

How and why does restorative practice (RP) work? This book presents the biological theory, affect script psychology (ASP), behind RP, and shows how it works in practice in different settings. ASP explains how the central nervous system triggers 'affects' which are the basis of all human motivation and emotion. The book presents a clear explanation of what ASP is, how it relates to RP, and how ASP helps practitioners to understand relationships, emotions and dynamics in their work. The chapters are based around case studies which demonstrate RP in criminal justice, organizational and education settings. They show how theory links to practice, and how having a deep understanding of the theory has helped practitioners to be successful in their work. Providing an accessible explanation of how RP works, this book will be invaluable to all RP practitioners in any setting, as well as RP students and academics.

“I learned that the problems were much deeper than a flawed criminal justice system, and that our work needed to begin in our relationships with each other and the natural world, and most importantly, with ourselves.” (from the preface) Restorative justice, as it exists in Canada and the U.S., has been co-opted and relegated to the sidelines of the dominant criminal justice system. In Security, With Care, Elizabeth M. Elliott argues that restorative justice cannot be actualized solely within the criminal justice system. If it isn’t who we are, says Elliott, then the policies will never be sustainable. Restorative justice must be more than a program within the current system – it must be a new paradigm for responding to harm and conflict. Facilitating this shift requires a rethinking of the assumptions around punishment and justice, placing emphasis instead on values and relationships. But if we can achieve this change, we have the potential to build a healthier, more ethical and more democratic society.

To what extent is restorative justice able to 'restore' the harm suffered by victims of crimes of interpersonal violence? Restorative justice is an innovative, participatory and inclusive reaction to crime that permits victims and offenders to engage in a communication process about the consequences of the offence. It looks to the future, actively involving parties to find, agree and implement ways to repair the harm. Restoring Harm analyses the restoration process from a psychosocial point of view and discusses the role of victim-offender mediation within such a process. It brings together literature from the fields of restorative justice, victimology and psychology, and shares original findings from victims who were interviewed in Belgium and Spain. This book not only offers descriptive findings but also provides a theoretical and comprehensive model that elucidates several possibilities for why victim-offender mediation may or may not play a role in victims' processes of emotional restoration. Well informed and well documented, this volume brings together evidence from different regions and develops a detailed discussion of the 'effectiveness' of restorative justice with regard to victims. Providing new and solid evidence thanks to a quasi-experimental methodological design, theory and practice come together to offer relevant reflections for researchers and practitioners who are concerned about the victim's position within victim-offender mediation and desire to develop a victim-sensitive restorative justice practice.

This up-to-date resource on restorative justice theory and practice is the literature’s most comprehensive and authoritative review of original research in new and contested areas. Bringing together contributors from across a range of jurisdictions, disciplines and legal traditions, this edited collection provides a concise, but critical review of existing theory and practice in restorative justice. Authors identify key developments, theoretical arguments and new empirical evidence, evaluating their merits and demerits, before turning the reader’s attention to further concerns informing and improving the future of restorative justice. Divided into four parts, the Handbook includes papers written by leading scholars on new theory, empirical evidence of implementation, critiques and the future of restorative justice. This companion is essential reading for scholars of restorative justice, criminology, social theory, psychology, law, human rights and criminal justice, as well as researchers, policymakers, practitioners and campaigners from around the world.

This timely collection of chapters written by international experts bridges the gap between peace psychology and restorative justice. The Editors combined their respective fields of expertise to start a much-needed debate on the potential but also risks that are associated when implementing restorative justice in the peace psychology field. The volume highlights how psychological theory and research can inform and evaluate the potential of restorative practices in formal and informal educational settings as well as the criminal justice space. The chapters cover both negative and positive peace across levels while introducing the reader to various case studies from across the world. All in all, the book explores how restorative justice can promote positive peace through its connection fostering dialogue, empathy, forgiveness, and other key psychological elements of peace.

Offender rehabilitation theory and practice have traditionally focused on curing "offenders" of their deviant tendencies by changing their habits, opportunities, personality and outlook on life. Consequently, a number of interventions have been developed within the criminal justice system that are said to be involved in helping offenders. Success is measured by recidivism rates. To this end, rehabilitation has become an important aim of sentencing, whether it be in the form of incarceration, community or monetary penalties. Recently, the foundations of rehabilitation theory and practice have been shaken. Rehabilitation is now seen by many as a threat to offenders' rights and humanitarian principles. Some have even argued that rehabilitation practices are harmful to offenders' chances of correction. Alongside these concerns, the entire paradigm on which our modern criminal justice systems are based has also been questioned. Alternative visions of justice have been moved out of the shadows in the hope that more effective processes are developed for safer and more just societies. One of these visions is encapsulated in restorative justice, which is based on the foundation of promoting human goods in the pursuit of restoration of harm and the correction of deviant behaviour. Restorative justice practices, such as mediation, circles and conferencing bring to the fore states of affairs, activities and experiences that are strongly associated with well-being and higher level of personal satisfaction and social functioning. They aim to create empathy and remorse, and through constructive and honest dialogue create a sense of responsibility in the "offender" and a feeling of empowerment and justice in the "victim". Within this framework, the labels of "victim" and "offender" collapse. A new approach to crime reduction and offender rehabilitation is thus needed. This ground-breaking, edited volume aims to respond to this call by bringing together inter-disciplinary thinking from criminology, affect-script psychology, sociology, political sciences and human rights, psychology and positive psychology, design and arts and social work. The inter-disciplinary dialogue that this book promotes aims to advance the restorative justice field, its tools, practices and evaluation techniques by bringing rehabilitation theory into the restorative justice debate, and vice versa.