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Conciliation Quarterly
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Conciliation Quarterly is a publication of the Mennonite Conciliation Service. The Summer 2001 (V. 20, No. 3) issue was dedicated to restorative justice. The MCS has given Restorative Justice Online to reprint those articles here.
Sustaining the Edge of Restorative Justice
EDITOR'S NOTES
After my first year of university, I made the decision to throw reason to the wind and study drama. Leaving my hopes for a stable income behind, I followed my heart and my dreams to class. I envisioned a core group of drama majors, radiating creativity and laughing in the face of convention. We were going to bond together as only true "artsies" could. We were going to fear no art and make the world a happier, more luscious place to inhabit. We were cutting edge.
We were also- apparently- going to compete fiercely for roles, ooze insincerity and stab people in the back. I soon grew weary of what I came to see as a false creativity and general stagnant environment. The drama scene wasn't measuring up to its ideals. Besides, the architects were the true creative souls on campus.
Within the conflict transformation field, restorative justice has a very attractive pull. It's creative, works as an alternative for a system in dire need of alternatives, and feels very cutting edge. And when it works well, it is all of that and more.
Restorative justice, however, is subject to all the ills and pitfalls of any system--mainstream or otherwise. Regardless of how full of integrity and principled a system may be in theory, holding true to those ideals in practice is no easy task.
As restorative justice becomes more and more accepted on the predominant criminal justice scene, it runs the risk of losing its edge. And when the edge is gone, the disillusionment will not take long to set in.
This issue of CQ is dedicated to those people who are working diligently to keep the restorative justice field on its toes and on the edge. The articles in this issue remind us where we come from, where we want to go and refuse to allow us to get comfortable with where we are.
I would like to thank the co-compiler of this issue, Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, the director of the Office on Crime and Justice for Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Her dedication to the restorative justice field is continuous and ever-growing. Now that she is working in the same office building as MCS- blessing us with her humor and spirit- we intend to further foster our relationship with the restorative justice community. One way this relationship will manifest itself is with the inclusion of a restorative justice focused article in each issue of CQ. We're excited about this expansion of our vision. Readers, please share your views on this (and anything else!) with us.
Restorative justice is doing very good work. Now is not the time to cozy up and get comfortable.
Kristin Reimer, Editor
For more information contact the MCS at mcs@mccus.org.
Other articles in this issue:
A Shared JustPeace Ethic: Uncovering Restorative Values
Restorative Justice when the System is the offender
A Journey in Aboriginal Restorative Justice
Not in My Backyard
Restorative Justice Signposts
Worth Reading
Question of Reparations
Perspective
March 2002
EDITOR'S NOTES
After my first year of university, I made the decision to throw reason to the wind and study drama. Leaving my hopes for a stable income behind, I followed my heart and my dreams to class. I envisioned a core group of drama majors, radiating creativity and laughing in the face of convention. We were going to bond together as only true "artsies" could. We were going to fear no art and make the world a happier, more luscious place to inhabit. We were cutting edge.
We were also- apparently- going to compete fiercely for roles, ooze insincerity and stab people in the back. I soon grew weary of what I came to see as a false creativity and general stagnant environment. The drama scene wasn't measuring up to its ideals. Besides, the architects were the true creative souls on campus.
Within the conflict transformation field, restorative justice has a very attractive pull. It's creative, works as an alternative for a system in dire need of alternatives, and feels very cutting edge. And when it works well, it is all of that and more.
Restorative justice, however, is subject to all the ills and pitfalls of any system--mainstream or otherwise. Regardless of how full of integrity and principled a system may be in theory, holding true to those ideals in practice is no easy task.
As restorative justice becomes more and more accepted on the predominant criminal justice scene, it runs the risk of losing its edge. And when the edge is gone, the disillusionment will not take long to set in.
This issue of CQ is dedicated to those people who are working diligently to keep the restorative justice field on its toes and on the edge. The articles in this issue remind us where we come from, where we want to go and refuse to allow us to get comfortable with where we are.
I would like to thank the co-compiler of this issue, Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, the director of the Office on Crime and Justice for Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Her dedication to the restorative justice field is continuous and ever-growing. Now that she is working in the same office building as MCS- blessing us with her humor and spirit- we intend to further foster our relationship with the restorative justice community. One way this relationship will manifest itself is with the inclusion of a restorative justice focused article in each issue of CQ. We're excited about this expansion of our vision. Readers, please share your views on this (and anything else!) with us.
Restorative justice is doing very good work. Now is not the time to cozy up and get comfortable.
Kristin Reimer, Editor
For more information contact the MCS at mcs@mccus.org.
Other articles in this issue:
A Shared JustPeace Ethic: Uncovering Restorative Values
Restorative Justice when the System is the offender
A Journey in Aboriginal Restorative Justice
Not in My Backyard
Restorative Justice Signposts
Worth Reading
Question of Reparations
Perspective
March 2002
Last modified 2005-07-05 07:46
