ABSTRACT
In the 1970s criminologists discovered victims, the forgotten party in the criminal justice system. Th is was followed in the 1980s by the introduction of measures meant to include victims in the criminal justice process. In recent years, a body of research has emerged on the meaning of justice for victims. Inspired largely by the work of Lind and Tyler on procedural justice, researchers have examined victims’ perceptions of fairness in the conventional criminal justice. More recently, justice theory has been applied in the area of restorative justice. Th e research shows that justice means more to victims than punishment of the off ender. How a particular outcome is reached is also important. In essence, it is not enough that justice be done; justice must be seen to be done.
