Alternative Approaches to Preventing Recidivism: Restorative Justice and the Social Reintegration of Offenders

Abstract

Mediation and restorative justice are often praised as efficient alternatives to criminal justice proceedings in dealing with juvenile offenders. However, the most powerful feature of such programmes has perhaps not yet been fully examined—their capacity to facilitate and effectively contribute to the social reintegration of offenders. This chapter seeks to recast mediation and restorative justice programmes as a form of reconciliation between the juvenile offender and the community and a frequent pre-requisite to the offender’s successful social reintegration.