ABSTRACT
The intrinsic dangers of restorative justice A key element of restorative justice is that it provides a forum for those affected by the offence to gather and communicate. Those affected are of course not a higher type of being or person who can create an idealised form of justice in which there are no selfish motives, no fear, no anger, no power imbalances, no problems. The point about restorative justice is that it is intended to bring together those affected, whoever they are. The people involved will reflect the hopes and fears of that society and those groups at that time and they will bring with them what they think justice means, which we have called their ‘justice values’ (Shapland et al. 2006b).
