Doina Balahur  is the manager of the Romanian Restorative Justice Network affiliated with the European Program on Restorative Justice Developments in Europe – COST A21. She is involved in a steering group – organized under the aegis of the Department for International Development/UK and the Romanian Ministry of Justice – working on the reform of Romanian criminal justice system. This work includes implementation of alternative strategies and restorative justice practice. Doina’s contribution to this project is described in her recent book Probation and Community Reintegration (2004).  

Doina  is Professor of Sociology of Law and of Restorative Justice in the Department of Sociology and Social Work from Al. I. Cuza University in Iasi, Romania. She is also the Director of the Research Centre for Social Management and Community Development from the same university. Among her teaching and research interests are:

• Juvenile Justice Systems

• Legal Protection of Vulnerable Groups

• Human Rights Law

• European Community Law - especially the cooperation within the third pillar

• Justice and Home Affairs.

Doina holds a BA in Psychology (Al .I. Cuza University), a BA in Law (Al. I. Cuza University), and a Ph.D in Sociology of Culture and Development (University in Bucharest).

---

Doina’s current research targets the

• Promotion of RJ values and practices as alternative ways of conflict resolution
• Roles of victims in restorative justice.

Her forthcoming book, (In)Justice and Punishment in Late Modernity (Fall, 2005) offers a critical view of modern criminal law and the challenges presented by, among others, victims' movements and citizens’ claims for safer communities.

---

Due to its pragmatic advantages and open and direct opportunities for reconciliation and restitution, restorative justice has indeed many chances to become the common conflict resolution system in postmodern times. RJ will replace, step by step, the modern system of formal justice which failed to keep its greatest promise: to be an objective and fair mean of conflict resolution. 

Formal conflict resolution systems developed in modernity shadowed the real subjects of harm and damages – the victim and the community -- thus contributing to their supplementary victimization and to the reinforcement of the circle of violence.  

As a variety of what is called cultural justice, RJ could better respond to our zeitgeist -- structured around pluralism and diversity -- and also to the minimal claims of social justice:

• to restore the damage,

• to cure the pain and the anger caused by conflict 

• to rebuild self-esteem and

• connections with community
  
  -- Doina Balahur
  
  (Abstract from (In)Justice and Punishment in Late Modernity – forthcoming)
  

  ---

  
  Reach Doina Balahur  at  dbalahur@uaic.ro
  
   
  
  Bibliography