Summary
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The 7 previously unpublished papers in this special issue of the journal explore the impact of culture, tradition, geography and law on the role of crime victims in the restorative justice process. Guest editors Curt Taylor Griffiths and Gordon Bazemore provide an introduction. Marlene Young highlights several of the theoretical underpinnings of restorative/community justice and the role of crime victims in this approach. The application of the principles of restorative/community justice in Canada is summarized by Griffiths. Bazemore discusses the potential for adopting a restorative, as opposed to an adversarial, approach to hearing cases and resolving conflicts involving juveniles and young offenders. The use of victim-sensitive offender dialogue and mediation is analyzed in Mark S. Umbreit et al.'s presentation of preliminary data from a 2-state, multiyear study. Community-based responses to violence against indigenous women are described by Evelyn Zellerer. Ogbonnaya O. Elechi contrasts the traditional indigenous systems of conflict resolution among the Afikpo with the modern Nigerian criminal justice system. Cyndi Banks describes aspects of restorative justice in the villages of Vanimo West Coast in Papua New Guinea.
