Reimagining Restorative Justice: Agency and Accountability in the Criminal Process

2017 | Law

In recent years, restorative-based interventions have increasingly been viewed as a legitimate, and even superior means of delivering criminal justice. This book proposes a new theoretical lens through which the theory and practice of restorative justice can be analysed. Given the sheer pace of recent developments in the field, there has been a clear need to re-evaluate the utility of some of the prevailing benchmark theories and to reimagine the shape and role of theory in guiding restorative justice provision within criminal justice. Drawing on empowerment theory, we argue that the joint concepts 'agency' and 'accountability' (which we label the agency-accountability framework) provide a useful lens for reimagining how restorative works and the normative goals it ought to encompass. From our perspective, programmes which aspire to be regarded as 'fully restorative' should be designed, implemented and evaluated in such a way that agency and accountability are maximised.

David O'Mahony (Author)

Jonathan Doak (Author)