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Summary

Weitekamp, Elmar G. M (2000). Mediation in Europe: Paradoxes, problems and promises. In Restorative justice for juveniles: Conferencing, mediation and circles, ed. Allison Morris and Gabrielle Maxwell, 145-160. With a foreword by DJ Carruthers. Oxford: Hart Publishing.

Whereas the term “restorative justiceâ€? is common worldwide to describe alternative responses to crime, in Europe there is a preference to think and speak more in terms of mediation or victim offender mediation. In this context, Weitekamp investigates the paradoxes, problems, and promises of mediation and restorative justice in Europe. The paradoxes and problems have to do with matters such as the terminology for designating mediation programs, the disjunction between restorative justice and victim offender mediation in various countries, and contradictory stakeholders and organizations involved in the restorative justice movement. The promise, in Weitekamp’s view, is that the state of mediation and restorative justice in Europe is ripe for change and for extension beyond the current level of development. Throughout this chapter, Weitekamp supports his perspectives by citing specific examples from numerous countries.

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