Restorative Justice: Healing the Foundations of Our Everyday Lives

by Dennis B. Sullivan, Larry Tifft

This bold, uncompromising essay offers a dual challenge to anyone interested in issues of justice. First, it poses a radical critique of current criminal justice practices in favor of a restorative justice alternative. Then, it advocates a fundamental reformulation of the thinking and practices of restorative justice itself.

Restorative justice is a growing movement that strives to achieve reconciliation between crime victims and the persons who have harmed them through the use of various forms of mediation and nonviolent conflict resolution. Many programs embodying this approach have been launched in North America, Europe and Australasia. The authors call for two sweeping revisions in restorative justice thinking: (1)replacing justice practices based on rights and "deserts" with approaches that seek to meet the needs of all -- including the harm-doer and the community, as well as those directly affected by a harm; and (2) applying these principles beyond the justice system to a broad range of social institutions, including families, schools, workplaces and neighborhoods.

The book offers many concrete examples of the type of need-based restorative justice that is being proposed.

Genres: Law

262 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Dennis B. Sullivan, Esq., LLM, CPA has over 25 years of service to individuals, families and businesses. He is a member of the AARP Legal Services Network, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, WealthCounsel, Elder Counsel, and the Massachusetts Society of CPA's. He earned a Masters in Business Administration from MIT's Sloan School of Business, a Master of Laws in Taxation from Boston University School of Law, a J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School and a B.S., summa cum laude, from Suffolk University.

Mr. Sullivan has co-authored five books on Estate, Elder Law, Asset Protection, Trust and Wealth Strategies Planning. He has also created the Successor Trustee Manual, which provides step-by-step instructions on the duties and responsibilities of being a Trustee. He has authored several articles on the tax savings, asset protection, elder law, estate planning and benefits of proactive planning, some of which have been published in Lawyer's Weekly, Boston Business Journal and community newspapers. He also provides continuing professional education courses for professional, business, and non-profit audiences.

The five books on Estate, Asset Protection, Trust and Wealth Strategies Planning include:

Generations: Planning Your Legacy
Legacy Plan: Protect and Preserve Your Estate
Living & Learning: Achieve Retirement anti-Income Security
Estate Planning Strategies: Collective Wisdom. Proven Techniques
The Senior and Boomer's Guide to Health Care Reform and Avoiding Nursing Home Poverty

Reviews

[Quin Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best, most comprehensive, and most visionary theoretical articulations of restorative justice that I’ve encountered, written by two long term scholar-practitioners. In light of all the easy appeals to restorative justice as an alternative form of accountability that circulate, this book is a much needed resource for considering the careful, deep, difficult, and long-term work that actually practicing restorative justice requires.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

"People from every walk of life are able to speak with great authority about issues of justice and yet they remain inordinately unaware of the political economic foundations on which their views on justice rest. Consequently they remain unaware of the effect their system of justice has not only on who they are and can be but also on others and who others are allowed to be and these are all issues of power."

[Jake La londe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the aim of all social work and mental health professionals. Most certainly this book is a road to inspiration to those trying to bring a humane aspect to the criminal justice system.