The meaning of ‘forgiveness’ and its role within restorative justice are highly contested. This book offers analysis from practical and academic perspectives within Christian theology, against a rich canvas of related concepts, including victimhood, sin, love, and vulnerability. Critical friends of restorative justice, the authors argue that forgiveness – whether as journey or act, unilateral or mutual, conditional or unconditional – is necessary to achieving a fully restorative resolution to acts of harm. They also suggest that Christianity, with its meaning-giving metanarrative of restoration, and preference for communitarian approaches to justice, may have epistemic value for evaluating and even deepening the theory and practice of restorative justice.

“Martha Minow is a voice of moral clarity: a lawyer arguing for forgiveness, a scholar arguing for evidence, a person arguing for compassion.” —Jill Lepore, author of These Truths In an age increasingly defined by accusation and resentment, Martha Minow makes an eloquent, deeply-researched argument in favor of strengthening the role of forgiveness in the administration of law. Through three case studies, Minow addresses such foundational issues as: Who has the right to forgive? Who should be forgiven? And under what terms? The result is as lucid as it is compassionate: A compelling study of the mechanisms of justice by one of this country’s foremost legal experts.

"Although Restorative Justice Dialogue is not a long text, it is an impressive achievement. Each chapter is rich in content, as Umbreit and Armour blend theory, practice, empirical research, and case studies to discuss a range of topics from specific models of restorative justice to the role of facilitators in restorative justice dialogue." --PsycCRITIQUES "Restorative Justice Dialogue presents a thorough and comprehensive explanation and assessment of the current state of restorative justice in the world." --Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics "[A]n evidence-based description of the history, practices, and future of restorative dialogue that is informed by the values and principles of law, social work, and spirituality. This is an impressive achievement." --Daniel W. Van NessPrison Fellowship International, Washington, DC "I know of no other book that provides such a complete review of the various and emerging restorative practices and the phenomenal growth of this movement worldwide." --David Karp, PhDSkidmore College "The combination of two outstanding and widely recognized restorative justice researchers, practitioners, and authors has produced a text that is destined to be a major resource." --Katherine Van Wormer, PhDUniversity of Northern Iowa This book provides a comprehensive foundation for understanding restorative justice and its application worldwide to numerous social issues. Backed by reviews of empirical research and case examples, the authors describe the core restorative justice practices, including victim-offender mediation, family group conferencing, and peacemaking circles, as well as cultural considerations, emerging variations in a wide variety of settings, and the crucial role of the facilitator. Together, authors Umbreit and Armour bring the latest empirical research and clinical wisdom to those invested in the research and practice of restorative justice. Key topics: Spiritual components of restorative justice Victim-offender mediation Family group conferencing Peacemaking circles Victim-offender dialogue in crimes of severe violence Dimensions of culture in restorative justice Humanistic mediation Application to domestic violence, higher education, and incarceration

A groundbreaking book founded on extensive original research, designed to determine how restorative dialogue works, and the role of forgiveness within it. The research involved interviews with 20 victims who went through a Victim Offender Dialogue (used in crimes of severe violence), and documents how the shifts in energy during the course of their dialogue moves the toxicity associated with the crime to a different place. This study explores the role of bilateral forgiveness in restorative work and addresses key questions about the role of forgiveness in restorative justice, such as how it can be measured. It also outlines a model which explains how the energy flow of dyadic forgiveness in restorative justice dialogue is formed. Rich in data and in findings, this book will deepen understanding of how restorative justice works, and will inform future research and practice in the field.

In the present book, scholars and activists from a variety of disciplinary perspectives engage each other around the topic of forgiveness. They examine its benefits and costs, its motives, and its limitations. The different voices do not sing in unity, but by the end of the book, you might conclude that some times of beautiful harmony were heard.

When Ray and Vi Donovan were awoken in the early hours of the morning to the horrific news that their two sons had been attacked by a gang while returning home that night, they felt as though their world had ended. The couple discovered that one of their sons, Christopher, was fighting for his life. He later died from the injuries he sustained in the brutal attack.

All over the world, the practice of peacebuilding is beset with common dilemmas: peace versus justice, religious versus secular approaches, individual versus structural justice, reconciliation versus retribution, and the harmonization of the sheer number of practices involved in repairing past harms. Progress towards resolving these dilemmas requires reforming institutions and practices but also clear thinking about basic questions: What is justice? And how is it related to the building of peace? The twin concepts of reconciliation and restorative justice, both involving the holistic restoration of right relationship, contain not only a compelling logic of justice but also great promise for resolving peacebuilding's tensions and for constructing and assessing its institutions and practices. This book furthers this potential by developing not only the core content of these concepts but also their implications for accountability, forgiveness, reparations, traditional practices, human rights, and international law.