| A common convention in the restorative justice literature is to draw a strong oppositional contrast between "retributive" and "restorative" responses to crime. This framing offers apparent clarity in a messy justice field, and it provides a secure normative footing for restorative justice advocates. Less certain is whether the retributive-restorative contrast is borne out empirically. One point of contention is the role of "punishment" in restorative justice. Advocates eschew punishment, arguing that restorative justice practices should not be about the "intentional infliction of pain" but rather about "repairing the harm caused by crime." But what of young people (offenders, aged 10 to 17) who are at the receiving end of restorative justice practices and outcomes? Do they view the process and result as "punishment"? Drawing from interviews of young people who have participated in a family conference in Australia, I assess their views on what is "punishment" (and "non punishment") in a restorative justice process. |
Updated 05/20/2006