Legislation. In some countries, legislation has been required to permit or regularize the use of restorative programmes by judges. In others, legislation established new criminal justice policies that made restorative processes a significant part to the government’s response to crime. This section consists of articles about legislation and in some instances, the actual legislation itself.

Inter-Governmental Documents. The United Nations, Council of Europe and European Union have provided leadership in encouraging and in offering guidelines concerning the use of restorative justice practices.

United Nations Documents: Documents created or adopted by United Nations bodies.

Council of Europe/European Union Documents. Documents created or adopted by Council of Europe or European Union bodies.

Court Cases. As use of restorative justice programmes has grown, legal issues have been raised concerning their use. This section includes articles or the actual court opinions of some of the important cases around the world.

Government Papers. As governments have considered incorporation of restorative justice programmes, some have established study commissions and other bodies to investigate how this might be done.

Research Reports. Some governments have conducted their own evaluations of the effectiveness of restorative justice programmes.

Practice Guidelines. This section contains policies, guidelines and manuals developed by government bodies for the implementation of restorative programmes.

Policy Issues. These documents discuss policy issues faced in using restorative justice as a significant part of the criminal justice response.

August 2005