This document is the author deposited version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it. PATERSON, Craig and CLAMP, Kerry (2012). Exploring recent developments in restorative policing in England and Wales. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 12 (5), 593-611. Published version Copyright and re-use policySee http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html Sheffield Hallam University Research Archivehttp://shura.shu.ac.uk IntroductionThe continued progress of police reform in England and Wales towards a local, community-oriented and engaged service is exemplified by the police embrace of  The authors would like to thank Dr Steve Tong for his valuable comments on an earlier version of this article as well as the anonymous reviewers for their observations and critique of the final piece of work.2 restorative justice. The twin drivers behind restorative policing 1 initiatives are a desire to increase community confidence in the police coupled with an acknowledgement of the limited capacity of formal state agencies to manage problems of crime and deviance.Distinct commonalities exist within contemporary political discourse in the fields of restorative justice and community policing surrounding active citizen participation, social inclusion, community cohesion and improved informal social controls that aim to foster more civilised, self-regulating conduct amongst citizens. From this perspective, restorative justice presents an opportunity to improve the delivery of policing services through enhanced police discretionary decision-making, community engagement and the reduction of the bureaucratic burden placed upon police officers. A more critical perspective raises concerns about the dilution of restorative principles within policing through a complex policy process.For the past two decades the relationship between policing and restorative justice has been explored in a number of international jurisdictions, most notably Shewan, 2010). But, while a number of statutory initiatives have been evaluated, there is 'no current overview, let alone monitoring, of all the restorative justice initiatives which are ongoing' (Shapland, 2009: 122). This makes it difficult to discuss with any certainty the quality or 'restorativeness' of the initiatives adopted by police forces around the country.This paper explores the recent restorative policy initiatives that are being introduced by the police to respond to both low-level and more serious offending. At this juncture it is important that a caveat be drawn. The authors are not arguing for or against an increase in the adoption of restorative practices by the police in their response to crime. Instead, we review the current experimentation and accompanying rhetoric of restorative justice adoption and integration within policing and give due attention to the potential problems that such a strategy may elicit. There is a wide body of literature that is critical of an increase in restorative practice within the criminal justice sector and more specificall...

This article considers the applicability of restorative justice literature in the transitional justice arena. The authors argue that while restorative justice is applied to a wide range of conflicts, the established literature is often of limited value within a transitional context. Insufficient attention is often paid to the inherent difficulties in importing theories, concepts and practices designed for the context of ‘settled’ societies into post-conflict environments. Significantly more consideration needs to be given to the practical operation of transitional justice mechanisms, as well as their underlying normative bases, so that they might live up to the claims of many commentators that transitional justice is ‘restorative’.

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