Understanding restorative justice through the lens of critical criminology

Abstract

There is an uneasy relationship between critical criminology and restorative justice. On the one hand, restorative justice is a story of optimism, reform and social change. Yet it also demonstrates a tendency to work within traditional criminal justice systems and whilst doing so, fails to challenge the exclusionary processes of criminalisation. This chapter explores some of the tensions between restorative justice and critical criminology – it is a critique of restorative justice within the context of the unfulfilled possibilities that restorative justice might hold.