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Summary

Duff, R. A. (2001). Restorative Punishment and Punitive Restoration In, Lode Walgrave, ed., Restorative Justice and the Law. Devon, UK: Willan Publishing. Pp. 82-100.

R. A. Duff’s thesis is this: responses to crime should aim for restoration or restorative justice; but the kind of restoration necessitated by criminal wrongdoing is properly achieved through a process of retributive punishment. This can be put another way: offenders should suffer retribution for their crimes; but the essential purpose of such punishment should be to achieve restoration. His slogan, therefore, is “Restoration through retribution.â€? As Duff remarks, this position puts him at odds with restorative justice advocates and with critics of restorative justice who argue in favor of a “just desertsâ€? retributivism. To make his case, Duff examines what restorative justice should mean in the context of wrongdoing; he then applies this perspective on restoration to crime, mediation, and punishment.

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