Van Ness, Daniel. W. “Restorative Justice in Prisons”

Most restorative programmes take place outside prison. There are several reasons for this. One is that it is far easier for offenders to make amends if they are not in prison. Another reason is that restorative justice is often communitybased, which means that the programmes work with victims and offenders in the community. A third reason has been the hope of policy makers that restorative justice will be a method of reducing court and prison overcrowding. It may actually contribute to that if the people sent to restorative programmes would otherwise have gone to prison. However, there have also been efforts to explore how restorative justice might fit into the context of a prison, and further, whether it would be possible to conceive of a restorative prison regime – one based fully on restorative principles and values. There are at least four ways these efforts have started.

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