Restorative justice : theory, policy and practice

This chapter will explore the influence of restorative justice on work with offenders and victims in the criminal justice system. It will consider three aspects of the criminal justice system in England and Wales, and how they have been affected by restorative justice. Attention will be given to services for victims; youth justice policy and the development of NOMS. It will be argued that although restorative justice has been an influence, and that some of the interventions could be rightly labelled as restorative, criminal justice policy debates in England and Wales have not fully engaged with the questions relating to the role of the state and the role of the community in restorative justice that are inherent to the concept. As a contrast, the example of youth justice in Northern Ireland will be covered to show where restorative justice theory has significantly influenced both policy and practice.