The politics of restorative justice

Discursive representations of restorative justice in international policies

“…They argued that the criminal justice system and the juridical process transform victims into mere witnesses of the justice system, and that victims often feel ignored, neglected or even abused by the justice process, a phenomenon labelled ‘secondary victimization’. Also, as a result of the cultural and political climate characterizing Europe since the 1980s, restorative justice ended up capturing the imagination of policy makers and supporting a depiction of criminal justice as the fight of the victim, supported by the state, against the offender (Blad, 2015). Specifically, the strengthening of the role and rights of victims is one of the main drivers that this article has identified in the development of international standards in the CoE, the EU and the UN, but especially in the EU.…”

“…From a more pragmatic perspective, Blad (2015) has argued that the time has come for the restorative justice movement to develop a wider political agenda with regard to criminal justice policies. He calls for the creation of a new representative body, an International Society for Restorative Justice, which would aim at developing a coherent frame of reference for restorative policies with regard to all aspects of criminal policy.…”

“…Such a Society could and should be focusing on policy and political questions with regard to the criminal justice system, among them questions about contemporary patterns of criminalization. For example, Blad (2015) asks whether criminal law is addressing the most important wrongs. Which acts could and should be decriminalized and which should, to the contrary, be criminalized?…”

The International Criminal Court and restorative justice: victims, participation and the processes of justice

“…Most instances of restorative justice, in contrast, prioritise victim participation as central to its practice (Blad, 2015). If we follow a 'process-orientated' definition of restorative justice it is clear that restorative justice includes different participants, and prioritises a different form of their participation, to that of retributive justice.…”

new horizons for independent research and development

“…Both initiatives aim at broadening the scope of restorative justice to make its practices fit for different institutional and societal contexts, while also further elaborating and specifying its operational principles. Regional and international organisations in the field of restorative justice should join forces in order to preserve its core principles and common standards, and (again) to influence the political agenda of international bodies (see also John Blad's (2015) argument in his Editorial 'The politics of restorative justice' in RJIJ 3(1), and the Conversation in this issue). The endeavour is enormous if not Sisyphean, as penal policies and practices find themselves worldwide at a crossroads of highly ambivalent developments, between emancipation and repression.…”