NCJ Number
213975
Date Published
2006
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This chapter critically examines the major claims related to the institutionalization of restorative justice (RJ) practices and explores the possibility of undesirable and unintended consequences of RJ.
Abstract
The main argument espoused throughout the chapter is that the current enthusiasm for RJ practices risks the fate of evangelical criminal justice reform movements of the past, which have been pursued with a taken-for-granted fervor that blinds followers to the possible unintended outcomes and implications. The author links the RJ movement with past and contemporary penal developments, which he terms “evangelical” due to the crusading flavor taken on by their proponents. Specific examples of evangelical movements include the child savers movement in the United States during late 19th century, the borstal movement in Britain during the interwar period, and the alternative to custody movement that was launched in England and the United States during the 1980s. According to the author, these movements had good intentions, yet resulted in bad practices and RJ may be the latest example of such a movement. The author illustrates how the RJ movement has caught on so rapidly that there has been little thought given to the consequences of institutionalizing RJ, consequences such as the fall of the current penal system that has characterized much of the modern period. Another issue raised by the institutionalization of RJ practices is the space left open by the decentralization of the criminal justice system. RJ practices exist beyond the realm of the typical state bureaucracies, which then lend themselves as potential battlegrounds for competing social movements and power struggles within local jurisdictions. As such, the author warns that RJ could become one element of a more localized and powerful system designed to exercise effective control of deviant youth. Notes, references