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Summary

Batley, Mike (2003). What is the Appropriate Role of Spirituality in Restorative Justice? In, Howard Zehr and Barb Toews, eds., Critical Issues in Restorative Justice. Monsey, New York and Cullompton, Devon, UK: Criminal Justice Press and Willan Publishing. Pp. 361-374.

Many people have found restorative justice to be rooted in spiritual principles and experiences, writes Michael Batley, whether they consider themselves as adherents of a specific faith or as unconnected to a specific faith. Batley explores in this chapter what all of this means and how it affects the practice of restorative justice. Toward this end, he examines the terms 'spiritual' and 'spirituality' and discusses the links these concepts may have with restorative justice concepts. He then builds on these ideas to reflect on their implications for restorative justice practice. In doing so, he highlights possible problems for restorative justice practice, and he outlines some models for practice that are intended to help in avoiding those problems.

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