ABSTRACT
Restorative justice has been presented as a response to crime that promotes inclusive dialogue, acceptance of responsibility, reparation of harm, and rebuilding of relations among victims, offenders and communities (Christie 1977; Braithwaite 1989; Hayes et al. 1998; Walgrave 1998; Tutu 1999; Ahmed et al. 2001; Roche 2001; Strang and Braithwaite 2001). As one approach within the informal tradition of dispute resolution, restorative justice is most commonly used to describe non-adjudicative methods of solving conflict that give victims, offenders and the community a central role in decision making (Braithwaite 1989; Roach 2000). A fundamental tenet of the restorative justice paradigm is a shift in accountability — from offenders owing a debt to society for their criminal behaviour, to being directly accountable to their victim(s) (Corrado et al. 2003) — with a focus on problem solving and on repairing harm (Umbreit 1995).
