December 2006 Edition

Restorative Justice in Portugal

The legal systems in civil law societies such as Portugal apply the legality principle that limits the discretion of judges and prosecutors to divert matters from criminal proceedings. This article, summarized from a paper by Federico Marques and João Lázaro, reviews efforts in Portugal to introduce victim offender mediation using existing legal measures. The full article is attached for download.

Restorative Justice and Peace in Northern Ireland

It is well known that Northern Ireland is engaged in a peace process to recreate society after 30 years of violent internal conflict. Significant progress has been made: political violence has ended, negations between different factions have taken place as have fundamental changes in the system of governance. However, unresolved issues call into question the depth to which society itself has been transformed. This article - summarized from a paper by Brendan McAllister, director of Mediation Northern Ireland - provides an overview of the conflict, peace process and how restorative justice has become a litmus test for the working out of the peace process.

Book Review: Handbook of Restorative Justice

This collection of essays offers a broad overview of restorative justice by covering a wide range of topics from foundational principles to visionary applications. Margarita Zernova offers this descriptive review.

Video Review: Restorative Justice: Making Things Right

Restorative justice focuses on repairing harm done to people and relationships by crime. This 22 minute video by the Mennonite Central Committee provides an introduction to restorative justice theory and processes.