Book Review: Mapping restorative justice: Developments in 25 European countries
Restorative justice is growing in practice and popularity in Europe. This book compares practices in 25 countries including information on the legal base, scope, implementaion, evaluation, contact addresses and published material concerning the country's programmes.
by David
Miers and Jolien Willemsens. Leuven, Belgium: European Forum for
Victim-Offender Mediation and Restorative justice. ISBN
90-901-8752-9.
In 2001, the Home Office in London published An International Review of Restorative Justice
by David Miers. Miers compared and contrasted the principle features of
restorative justice provision in sixteen European and common law
jurisdictions. In order to promote the international exchange of
information, the European Forum for Victim-Offender Mediation and
Restorative Justice obtained permission from the Home Office to update
the review.
This book, edited by David Miers and Jolien
Willemsens, provides that update and expands its scope to
twenty five countries. Full accounts of restorative justice practices
and programmes are given for seventeen: Austria; Belgium; Czech
Republic; Denmark; England and Wales; Finland; France; Germany; Italy;
Luxembourg; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Slovenia; Spain; and
Sweden. Short accounts are given for the following eight countries:
Albania; Bulgaria; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Moldova; Scotland; and
Ukraine. Each reviews the legal base, scope, implementation,
evaluation, contact addresses, and published material concerning
the country's programmes.
This is a useful and comprehensive
overview of the incorporation of restorative practices into European
criminal justice. It will be of interest to persons seeking information
about that region's use of restorative justice as well as to those
considering questions and models of the incorporation of restorative
justice in public policy.
Gregory Strong
July 2006
