History is a mirror that reflects the future, and by examining it we understand what is yet to come. In all aspects of life the past impacts the present and the future; with restorative justice this is no different. In recent times restorative justice has emerged in various semblances, with different names, and in many countries (Daly, 2002). The genesis of Restorative Justice can be traced to agrarian society, and the thrust towards its serves as a resurrection of historically prevalent approaches to crime and conflict. Restorative justice practices for example restitution have extensive roots in primitive societies the world over. However the history of this phenomenon is given little consideration (Gavrielides, 2007), with many claiming
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The term was coined by Albert Eglash in 1977 (Van Ness & Strong (2007). According to Gavrielides (2007) the 1970’s marked the decade where criminologists around the world started to see the flaws in the then criminal justice system and sought after alternative paradigms. Three prominent criminologists Barnett; Christie and Eglash spoke of the crisis that was taking place in the criminal justice system and called for an alternative paradigm that could replace the then punitive one (Gavrielides, 2007). Their works paved the way for victimologists who claimed that the victims were being ignored by the criminal justice system, and proposed the use of formal restitution. This led to a plethora of writings on restorative justice. Though the use of “restorative justice” in its contemporary understanding can be dated back to the 1970’s, the practices that come under its umbrella term can be traced back into the customs and religions of the most traditional societies (Braithwaite, 2002 p 64-68). Van Ness and Strong (1997) claimed that restorative justice values are grounded in traditions of justice as old as the ancient Greek and Roman
The term was coined by Albert Eglash in 1977 (Van Ness & Strong (2007). According to Gavrielides (2007) the 1970’s marked the decade where criminologists around the world started to see the flaws in the then criminal justice system and sought after alternative paradigms. Three prominent criminologists Barnett; Christie and Eglash spoke of the crisis that was taking place in the criminal justice system and called for an alternative paradigm that could replace the then punitive one (Gavrielides, 2007). Their works paved the way for victimologists who claimed that the victims were being ignored by the criminal justice system, and proposed the use of formal restitution. This led to a plethora of writings on restorative justice. Though the use of “restorative justice” in its contemporary understanding can be dated back to the 1970’s, the practices that come under its umbrella term can be traced back into the customs and religions of the most traditional societies (Braithwaite, 2002 p 64-68). Van Ness and Strong (1997) claimed that restorative justice values are grounded in traditions of justice as old as the ancient Greek and Roman