Procedural Justice for Victims and Offenders?: Exploring Restorative Justice Processes in Australia and the US

Procedural Justice for Victims and Offenders?: Exploring Restorative Justice Processes in Australia and the US

Sociolegal research indicates that when citizens perceive that legal processes and procedures are fair, both positive and negative legal outcomes will be viewed as acceptable. However, little is known about perceptions of fairness in informal contexts such as in restorative justice (RJ) practices an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Justice quarterly 2015-01, Vol.32 (1), p.142-167
Main Authors: Miller, Susan L., Hefner, M. Kristen
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Australia
Crime
Criminal Justice
Criminal Proceedings
Equity
Justice
Legal studies
Offenders
Perceptions
Procedural Justice
Restorative justice
Victims
Victims of crime
Violent crime
violent crimes
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Summary:Sociolegal research indicates that when citizens perceive that legal processes and procedures are fair, both positive and negative legal outcomes will be viewed as acceptable. However, little is known about perceptions of fairness in informal contexts such as in restorative justice (RJ) practices and with victims (and offenders) who participate in these programs. Drawing on interviews with key actors engaged in post-conviction RJ programs for serious crimes in Australia and the USA, this paper asks, do post-conviction therapeutic RJ programs for violent crimes enhance procedural justice for victims and offenders? The data reveal that RJ is compatible with procedural justice for both victims and offenders. Specifically, RJ aids in correcting the harms created by the formal criminal justice system and, thus, satisfies and even greatly enhances procedural justice goals for both victims and offenders.
ISSN:0741-8825
1745-9109