ABSTRACT
Modern-day application of restorative justice in most of the world is now only a few years old. Many correctional and victim rights organizations, criminal justice systems, social service agencies, and community groups have discovered the power of clear language and principles that direct policies, programs, and priorities toward one that seeks, above all else, to correct the harm caused by crime. This attempt at changing traditional justice practices, however, has encountered significant barriers. Examining the experiences of early efforts to move from a retributive model of corrections to one that promotes restorative principles reveals a wide range of success and failure. Even in areas in which major changes have been made, struggles to alter long-standing system and organizational cultures are commonplace. Agencies and systems that have made a more complete transition to a restorative justice policy have at least one thing in common: they have sustained the drive for change over several developmental stages and have modified policies and procedures based on an evolving developmental state.
