Critical Issues in Restorative Justice

by Howard Zehr (editor), Barb Toews (Editor)

In a mere quarter-century, restorative justice has grown from a few scattered experimental projects into a worldwide social movement and field of study. The contributors to this book critically examine restorative justice, identifying the main threats to its integrity and effectiveness. The ground that they cover ranges from victim, offender, and practitioner issues, to the role of the state, to broad questions of social justice.

412 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

Howard Zehr is an American criminologist, prolific writer and editor, speaker, educator, and photojournalist; widely considered to be a pioneer of the modern concept of restorative justice.

Widely known as “the grandfather of restorative justice,” Zehr began as a practitioner and theorist in restorative justice in the late 1970s at the foundational stage of the field. He has led hundreds of events in more than 25 countries and 35 states, including trainings and consultations on restorative justice, victim-offender conferencing, judicial reform, and other criminal justice matters. His impact has been especially significant in the United States, Brazil, Japan, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Britain, the Ukraine, and New Zealand, a country that has restructured its juvenile justice system into a family-focused, restorative approach.

Zehr was an early advocate of making the needs of victims central to the practice of restorative justice. A core theme in his work is respect for the dignity of all peoples.

Reviews

[Clivemichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of concerning issues, especially appreciated Bonnie Price Lofton's comments.