Is restorative justice a compass without a needle?

from Howard Zehr's entry on Restorative Justice Blog:

....an important new contribution by Dorothy Vaandering. (“A faithful compass:  rethinking the term restorative justice to find clarity.” Contemporary Justice Review, Vol 14, No. 3, Sept 2011, 307-328).

Vaandering’s research and experiences are in the realm of education, but she speaks to the field as a whole, warning that although it has offered a compass, the compass has been lacking a needle.

Sep 28, 2011 Conceptual, Definition, Theory

• Read More

An apology is not good enough and neither is a conviction

from the independent review of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup Playoffs riot:

Accountability is most powerful when an individual fully understands the effects of their actions on other people and not just the impersonal state.

Some did as soon as they woke up the next day, bewildered and remorseful. Bold acts that drew cheers on the 15th were inexplicable and humiliating on the 16th. Even many of those who felt no remorse felt the lash of global village justice in all its forms.

Remorse, no matter how sincere, is not enough. We had a deal: we respected them and they respected us. They broke that deal on June 15 (albeit impulsively in many cases) and a price must be paid. There are strong and widespread views that the criminal justice system is not up to the task because it is too slow and too weak. But another, more apt reason is that it is too impersonal. A guilty plea and imposition of a fine teaches nothing of the harm that’s been done.

Sep 13, 2011 Theory, Conceptual, Potential, Region: North America and Caribbean, Country:Canada, Politics

• Read More