Estelle Zinsstag

An adventure is taking off. Why Restorative Justice: An International Journal?

The idea of creating an international journal on restorative justice is not particularly new. In the last ten years, and even before that, ideas were exchanged and plans made on a number of occasions concerning the possibility of such an initiative. Various international restorative justice organisations, practitioners and networks of researchers put forward proposals in this respect. However, the necessary human and financial resources and an appropriate environment to take up such an endeavour were simply lacking. That is, until recently. Today, following extensive consultation with and support from a large group of key international experts, but also with the professional guidance of a well-respected and visionary publisher, we are delighted to launch this journal. It is our belief that the time has come for an international medium offering in-depth, sophisticated and high-quality forms of communication about restorative justice the world over. Restorative justice has developed as a field of innovative ideas, evolving practices and research that is of crucial relevance to the way justice is done and, more broadly, to working towards a more just world. It is obvious indeed that restorative justice is expanding rapidly. Within a few decades it has grown from a little-known idiom to a broad and ever ‘widening river’ (Zehr, 2002: 62) of innovative practices and empirical evaluations, and has become a central issue in theoretical, legal and socio-ethical debates. While its origins can be traced back to seeking ‘alternative’ ways of dealing with minor juvenile delinquency in North America, nowadays restorative justice practices are applied to an increasingly wide range of crimes in all parts of the world. They are no longer limited to petty or non-violent crimes, but extend to cases of serious attacks on the physical and moral integrity of

Why restorative justice matters for criminology

This editorial is written on the occasion of the ‘official’ launch of Restorative Justice: An International Journal at the annual conference of the European Society of Criminology, held in Budapest in September 2013. While there is no clear-cut definition of criminology, for the sake of this editorial it may help to look at the topics presented in Budapest this year under the label ‘criminology’. The conference programme covers a wide range of issues, from the individual characteristics of those who have committed crimes or have become victims, through gender violence and disciplinary problems in schools, diverse violations of human rights and international crimes (such as genocide), and international criminal networks, to sentencing procedures, prevention of drug use, the impact of urban development on crime, capitalist globalisation and punitive populism and, indeed, the potential of restorative justice. Almost all scientific, social and normative disciplines are involved, and it is often difficult to indicate precisely the disciplines or specialisations that are implicated. Criminology is gradually developing its own theoretical and methodological approaches. The Budapest conference programme witnesses the wide scope of criminology as a field of scientific research and scientifically guided practice. What is common in the contributions is that they all deal with matters that are directly or indirectly related to the concept of crime and/or criminal justice. Against this background, we think that the emergence of restorative justice in recent decades is beneficial for criminology as a whole. We see at least four reasons for this, which we would like to discuss briefly in this editorial: credibility of the criminal justice system, normalisation of criminal behaviour, normative choices to be made, and the setup of a laboratory for research.

A snapshot of Restorative Justice: An International Journal after three years

In the spring of 2013 the first issue of Restorative Justice: An International Journal (RJIJ) appeared. As we are writing this editorial, in January 2016, three volumes are out and nine issues have been published as was initially planned. As an Editorial Team we considered this to be a good moment to take a snapshot and see where we stand, to critically look back at what we started and to reflect on the future of this ‘adventure’. Our editorial in the first issue set forth great ambitions. We wrote: ‘It [the journal] aims to become the essential medium for presenting theories, visions, practices and research findings on restorative justice’ (Aertsen et al., 2013: 9). To achieve this, we created an Editorial Board and an International Advisory Board both composed of the fine fleur of restorative scholarship; we believed these would be the perfect go-betweens with the field, to ensure good international coverage and provide adequate ‘checks and balances’ for our initiative. We hoped and expected that our own position in the field, added to the Boards members’ reputations, was strong enough to motivate potential authors to submit texts and share their research in this journal. We were confident that Hart Publishing would be the perfect partner to produce a highquality journal. But we also knew that it would take some time before the journal would really reach the high standards and status it aspired to. The question now is where do we stand after three years? Are we on track? We seek answers to these questions through some quantitative data and a few qualitative comments.

Sexual violence and restorative practices in Belgium, Ireland and Norway: a thematic analysis of country variations

ABSTRACT The article compares and contrasts the provision of some restorative practices in cases of sexual violence in three European countries: Belgium, Ireland and Norway. It begins by briefly outlining efforts to address the ‘justice gap’ experienced by victims of sexual violence within conventional justice systems. The article points to calls for the development of alternative or complementary innovative justice responses to sexual violence. It suggests that restorative justice advocates believe they can deliver a participatory, empowering and flexible form of restorative justice, which can run in tandem with conventional criminal justice processes. However, it is noted that the application of restorative approaches to cases of sexual violence has engendered some controversy. The article points to considerable inter-country divergence in the extent to which restorative justice is accessible to victims of sexual crimes and to the emergence of country-specific patterns in the provision of restorative justice in cases of sexual violence.

Anne-Marie De Brouwer, Supranational criminal prosecution of sexual violence: The ICC and the practice of the ICTY and the ICTR, Intersentia: Mortsel, 2005; 9050955339, 9789050955331, £76.50

author had introduced Erving Goffman’s classic The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, and shown whether Goffman’s work is generalizable to online communities. Other discussions of what has come to be called ‘Netiquette’ would also have enriched the work. There are many places in terrestrial space places where I, despite having every right to do so, would not venture, because in doing so I would expose myself to the risk of offensive sights or insulting comments. If I had the time and the inclination to hang around in virtual communities, no doubt there are places there too, that I would avoid. To those who are affronted by unseemly conduct in a chatroom, I would bring to mind the doctrine volenti non fit injuria. The author’s contribution lies in his methodology, and in his discussing some of the more interesting psychological processes that characterize behaviour in cyberspace. Whether one is dealing in cyber-fantasyland, or in real cyberspace (such as the intranet of a major corporation or government organization), the technology does appear to lower inhibitions. That art imitates life and vice versa has been noted for some time. It was interesting to learn that one of the participants in the virtual community who had a penchant for sadomasochistic fantasies, struck up an electronic relationship with another participant of compatible interests. They agreed to meet in the real world, where their fantasy became reality and resulted in homicide. The author correctly observes that governments, burdened with more real crime (both terrestrial and electronic) than they can handle, are not likely to concern themselves with insults or sadistic fantasies expressed in chatrooms. Jihadist musings may be a different matter, however. For the time being, if I were of the militant persuasion, I would not presume to be anonymous while online.