Civilising Criminal Justice

David Cornwell, John Blad and Martin Wright are three of the leading international experts on this topic with many publications to their names individually. Contributors: Serge Gutwirth and Paul De Hert (Belgium), Federico Reggio (Italy), Bas van Stokkom (The Netherlands), Lode Walgrave (Belgium), Susan Easton and Christine Piper (UK), Louis Blom-Cooper QC (UK), Tapio Lappi-Seppala (Finland), Thomas Trenczek (Germany), Jean-Pierre Bonafe-Schmitt (France), Per Andersen (Norway), Claire Spivakovsky (Australia), Ann Skelton (Republic of South Africa), Borbala Fellegi (Hungary), Judge Fred McElrea (New Zealand); and the editors.

Probably the best collection there is, Civilizing Criminal Justice is an inescapable resource for anyone interested in restorative justice: truly international and packed with experience while combining history, theory, developments and practical advice.This volume of specially commissioned contributions by widely respected commentators on crime and punishment from various countries is a 'break-through' in bringing together some of the best arguments for long-overdue penal reform. An increasingly urgent need to change outmoded criminal processes, even in advanced democracies, demands an end to those penal excesses driven by political expediency and damaging notions of retribution, deterrence and punishment for its own sake. 'Civilising' criminal justice will make it fairer, more consistent, understandable and considerate towards victims of crime, currently largely excluded from participation. Principles of reparative and restorative justice have become increasingly influential in the quest to provide justice which tackles harm, compensates victims, repairs relationships, resolves debilitating conflicts and calls offenders to account. And in any case, what real justification is there for subjecting more and more people to the expensive but hollow experience of prison, especially at a time of economic stringency. Civil justice - in its various forms - can be swifter, cheaper and more effective, in court or through mediated processes focusing on the harmful consequences of offences rather than inflicting punishment that may satisfy a baying media but come home to haunt the community. This brave and generous book (600 pages) illustrates the many different ways in which criminal justice can be 'civilised' and how lessons can be learned from practical experience across the world and shared expertise. It is a volume that every politician should read, every criminal justice professional should possess, and that every student of criminology and penology will find invaluable.David Cornwell, John Blad and Martin Wright are three of the leading international experts on this topic with many publications to their names individually. Contributors: Serge Gutwirth and Paul De Hert (Belgium), Federico Reggio (Italy), Bas van Stokkom (The Netherlands), Lode Walgrave (Belgium), Susan Easton and Christine Piper (UK), Louis Blom-Cooper QC (UK), Tapio Lappi-Seppälä (Finland), Thomas Trenczek (Germany), Jean-Pierre Bonafé-Schmitt (France), Per Andersen (Norway), Claire Spivakovsky (Australia), Ann Skelton (Republic of South Africa), Borbála Fellegi (Hungary), Judge Fred McElrea (New Zealand); and the editors.John Braithwaite is a Distinguished Professor at the Australian National University, author of ground-breaking works on restorative justice and recipient of various awards.

Editorial Preface. Introduction - The Editors. Foreword - John Braithwaite. PART I: Civilising Procedure. 1. Justice and Punishment: Myths, Mercy and Anglo-Saxon Attitudes - David Cornwell. 2. Restorative Justice as a Procedural Revolution: Some Lessons from the Adversary System - F W M. (Fred) McElrea. 3. Retribution and/or Restoration? The Purpose of our Justice System through the Lens of Judges and Prosecutors - Borbala Fellegi. 4. Crime and Justice: A Shift in Perspective - Louis Blom-Cooper. 5. Civilising Civil Justice - Ann Skelton. 6. Seriousness: A Disproportionate Construction and Application? - Christine Piper and Susan Easton. PART II: Civilising Theory. 7. Restorative Justice Amongst Other Strategies - John Blad. 8. Remorse and Facilitating Responsibility: Rationales of Personal Mitigation in Sentencing - Bas van Stokkom. 9. To Punish or to Restore? A False Alternative - Serge Gutwirth and Paul De Hert. 10. Dialogical Justice: Philosophical Considerations for Re-thinking the Reaction to Crime in a Restorative Way - Federico Reggio. 11. Making Criminal Justice More Civilised Through Restorative Justice - Lode Walgrave. PART III: Civilising Practice. 12. Could a Restorative System of Justice be more Civilised than a Punitive One? - Martin Wright. 13. Restorative Justice Beyond: Mediation (not only) in Criminal Conflicts - Thomas Trenczek. 14. Restorative Justice and Penal Mediation: The French Exception - Jean-Pierre Bonafe-Schmitt. 15. Positioning the Offender in a Restorative Framework: Potential Dialogues and Forced Conversations - Claire Spivakovsky. 16. Development of Restorative Justice Practices in Norway - Per Andersen. 17. Downsizing the Use of Imprisonment in Finland - Tapio Lappi-Seppala. 18. Conclusions - David Cornwell, John Blad and Martin Wright.