Andrew Von HirschCritiques

Restorative Justice has emerged around the world as a potent challenge to traditional models of criminal justice. And while restorative programmes, policies, and legislative reforms are being implemented in many Western nations, the underlying aims, values, and limitations of this new paradigm remain somewhat uncertain.

Advocates of RJ have rarely engaged in systematic debate with those defending more traditional conceptions of criminal justice. Presented here are contributions from internationally renowned scholars that collectively assess the pros and cons of RJ.

Inevitably the assessment raises further questions, and 21 distinguished criminologists and legal scholars address these.

The concluding chapters consider how restorative strategies might comport with, or replace, other penal strategies.