M.A. / Many countries have shown dissatisfaction and frustration with the formal punitive justice system. There is a resurging interest in preserving and strengthening traditional and customary justice practices, which has led to an outcry for alternative responses to crime and for social order. This requires the involvement of all parties, including the victim, offender and community, in participating and resolving conflict and addressing its consequences. This study addressed the following question: What are the roles, functions and competencies that social workers require in restorative justice? A review of the literature compared the different justice theories and, ultimately, restorative justice. Restorative justice, as a growing movement, aims to change the direction of criminal law by focusing on the needs of victims and repairing harms to the communities. The victim is afforded an opportunity in court as well as outside the court by actively participating in the outcome of the sentence of the offender. The offender, on the other hand, is directly confronted with the responsibility for the wrong and is more likely to do something positive for the victim. The community‟s susceptible, healing approach offers a new way of dealing with crime. Restorative justice programmes are, in some instances, based on local decision-making and community-building. This attitude promotes and encourages a peaceful expression of conflict, tolerance and inclusiveness which builds respect for diversity and enhances responsible community practices.

M.A. / Restorative justice is a new way of thinking about crime. Restorative justice ensures that the needs of the victims are not forgotten and it sets about repairing the harm caused to victims. In restorative justice, victims of crime are placed in the centre of the criminal court. It was of great importance to find out how the victims of crime perceive restorative justice. Eight victims of crime committed by juvenile offenders in Malamulele were selected to participate in the study. An exploratory study was conducted to gain insight into the feelings of the victims of crime towards restorative justice. To find out what meaning victims of crime attach to restorative justice, qualitative research methodology was utilized. Information was collected through a semi-structured interview to obtain a detailed picture of the victims’ perceptions on restorative justice by using an interview schedule. Non-probability purpose sampling was used to select the easily available victims of crime. It was discovered that the respondents perceived restorative justice as a relevant way and tool of settling the dispute face to face through reconciliation, peace and forgiveness. Recommendations are based on the findings to implement a restorative justice programme and to involve the victims of crime in the justice system. Recommendations for further research are presented. / Ms. H. Ellis

This is a deductive study testing Hudson’s (2006; 2003) theory of social justice and, specifically, her delineation of three restorative justice principles (discursiveness, reflectiveness and relationalism) in order to explore how the principles might respond to the justice needs of women who have experienced abuse and violence by male intimate partners. Through in-depth and critically informed one-on-one interviews with twelve women who have experienced intimate partner violence in former relationships, it asks how abused women conceptualize justice and how justice might be done through restorative justice principles. The women offer social conceptualizations of justice and of doing justice that reconfigure the principles of restorative justice to prioritize protective solutions, and they locate them in domains outside of criminal justice where the complexities and dynamics of intimate partner violence are well understood and they demonstrate openness to support abused women. Their feedback about restorative justice principles suggests configurations in social service domains such as help lines, crisis centres, and shelters and, more broadly through policies enabling social responsibility in domains such as workplaces, media, and social media where there is the potential to create collaborations and protective solutions. Despite frustrations with the criminal justice system for its inability to provide long term protective solutions, given its ability to help some women in the short term, the women were not willing to jettison it.

Introduction: Renewed efforts for controlling criminality in Sweden are demanded by the Swedish Government. Restorative justice conferences (RJC), in Sweden known as mediation, can be described as a meeting mediated by a trained facilitator in which the offender and the victim of a crime meets, sometimes together with their friends and family. RJC aims to promote the offender to take responsibility for his or her actions and repair the damage the victim has suffered. Research on RJC shows promising results in regard of reduced recidivism and increased victim benefits. No Swedish publication studying public opinion on RJC has been found. The theoretical framework of reintegrative shaming stated that a community that offer reintegration is essential for successful crime prevention. Aim: To measure the level of RJC support held by a Swedish community sample in regard of different offender and offence characteristics. Method: Participants were recruited at a Swedish authority located in nine different cities (n = 192) and surveyed using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was based on two scales measuring benefits of restorative justice and support for participation in restorative justice derived from a previous study. Results: The respondents had an overall positive attitude toward RJC. No respondent demographic was associated with the total level of restorative justice support although differences were found when using age and gender as independent variables. Respondents were more positive of RJC for juvenile offenders and non-violent crime. Discussion: A discussion regarding the public support for RJC in relation to offender recidivism is provided established on reintegrative shaming and previous empirical evidence. Concluding arguments for RJC to be extended in a wider context in the Swedish penalty system are presented. / <p>2016-06-01</p>

My thesis deals with selected problems related to the criminal justice in the matter of youth. These problems mainly result from the fact that this is a specific group of offenders and that it is necessary to react to their unlawful activities and viewed them in a different way compared to the cases of adults. Therefore criminal law of young offenders resulted in the separate legal regulation which is contained in the Act no. 218/2003 Coll., on Judicial System in the Matter of Youth. I divide this thesis internally into six parts which have a logical sequence. The first part deals with terminology which occurs in the Act and differs from general adjudication which is stipulated by the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure. It is necessary to acquire different terms to get a good orientation in the given issues. The second part deals with restorative justice on which basis the act on judicial system in the matter of youth is built up. It is a restoring justice where no primary vengeance exists. Since we cannot say that there exists a stable definition of restorative justice, I mention mainly the principles which this concept is based on. Further, I make a passing comment about some institutes and provisions in which the principles of restorative justice are reflected. Next part describes...

This diploma thesis addresses the issues of victims of crimes in criminology. Object of this work is to describe the victim's status and rights, introduce the area of victimology to the reader together with related knowledge of this area, description of recent legislation pertaining victims with particular focus on Crime Victims Act. This diploma thesis is structured as following: Introduction, 10 chapters, systematically divided into subchapters, conclusion. First chapter deals with questions of victimology, it's evolution and subject matter. Second chapter explains the concept of victim of the crime, victimity and special types of victims, e.g. pseudo victim or multiple victim. Chapter three covers the area of victimization and it's characteristics. Debunking of famous victimological myths is also included in this chapter. Chapter four describes an influence of the crime on victim and how possible victimisation results in post-traumatic stress disorder. Chapter mentions which circumstances can deepen victimization and gives an account of syndromes of the victims. Next chapter presents specific victims. There are various victimological researches examined in chapter six and help for victims of crime is topic of the chapter seven. Chapter eight addresses prevention in victimology. Following chapter...

Thesis advisor: James F. Keenan / The United States penal system, fragmented by contradictory impulses toward retribution and incapacitation, is in need of coherent objectives for its prisons and jails. This dissertation draws upon the resources of virtue ethics to suggest a new model of justice, one which claims that a Christian theological framework can offer insight for public correctional institutions. In developing a model of justice as virtue, I incorporate rehabilitative goals and contributions from restorative justice. Advancing beyond these foundations, I draw upon two key sources. First, from a study of virtue and justice in the work of Thomas Aquinas, I argue that the virtue of legal justice - an orientation toward the common good - is the fundamental lens for understanding punishment. The prison can only cultivate justice to the extent that it empowers moral agency and (re-)orients offenders toward right relationship with the community. Second, an inclusive, restorative account of biblical justice - developed particularly from Isaiah, the Psalms, and the New Testament - establishes justice as a saving intervention. Thus, punishment can be a legitimate means but is not constitutive of justice itself. Despite its necessary limitations, the prison must empower the moral agency of inmates through just action, reformulate the role and practices of correctional staff, and facilitate just relationships between offenders and their communities and families. Furthermore, prisons themselves can be understood as moral agents that bear responsibility for cultivating justice in society. For the United States prison, a model of justice as virtue mandates unremitting efforts to transform offenders and the larger community into just moral agents. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Sociology

Concerns over skyrocketing school disciplinary rates have driven the search for alternative methods to address disruptive student behavior. Restorative disciplinary practices are a promising option for our nation's schools. This investigation explores the willingness of educators to adopt restorative discipline by analyzing survey data from the Northwest Justice Forum Pre-Training on Restorative Justice in Schools. Data analysis was conducted using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a model for understanding and predicting future behavior--in this instance, willingness to be contacted for more information or willingness to participate in a future study. A concurrent review of the participant's school disciplinary policies demonstrated how participant views are reflected in practice. The analysis suggested that the respondent's attitude significantly predicted intention, and both attitude and intention predicted behavior. Furthermore, the policy review confirmed that restorative discipline is largely absent and cautioned that there may be misconceptions about its use.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the attitudes of citizens in Vermont and the newly instated restorative justice programs of the Vermont Department of Corrections. To complete this task, 601 Vermont residents were contacted via telephone interview and asked a series of questions concerning their opinion about 3 restorative justice programs, namely reparative boards, the diversion program, and the furlough program. Bivariate analysis determined if a relationship exists between the dependent variables, restorative justice programs, and independent variables, demographic characteristics such as age and gender. Results of the analysis revealed several factors contributing to attitudes about the Vermont department of corrections, including opinions whether the courts can handle their caseloads, overall belief in the criminal justice system, and views about restorative justice programs. Future implications of these findings and recommendations for future study are also included.