Iranian Criminal Justice System from the Perspective of Restorative Justice Models

Abstract

Different systems of criminal policy including governmental and social have followed various restorative justice models such as "abolitionist or pure-minded", "separatist or autonomous" and "reformist or maximalist", based on their prevailing political, doctrinal, and ideological values and discourses, and in this regard have focused on various restorative programs such as arbitration councils, mediation, family sessions, as well as healing and sentencing circles. Iranian criminal justice system, unlike other systems, has adopted a different approach to restorative justice, due to its special legal and political structure. This paper analyzes the structure of this system from the perspective of restorative justice models and processes. It explains the prevailing and common model of restorative justice in this system and its limitations and challenges.