Basemore, Gordon and Mark Umbreit. A Comparison of Four Restorative Conferencing Models. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001. Notes: Available online at http://www.ncjrs.org, click on Search Abstract Database.
Abstract: Reconciling the needs of victims and offenders with the needs of the community is the underlying goal of restorative justice. Unlike retributive justice, which is primarily concerned with punishing crime, restorative justice focuses on repairing the injury that crime inflicts. As a means to that end, restorative conferencing brings together victims, offenders, and other members of the community to hold offenders accountable not only for their crimes but for the harm they cause the victims. This bulletin features the four models of restorative conferencing.

Colson, Charles. Justice That Restores. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2001. Call Number: HV 8688 .C63 2001
Abstract: In his legacy statement about criminal justice, Chuck Colson--ex-offender and founder of the international Prison Fellowship Ministries--proposes a radical new paradigm for looking at the crisis in our criminal justice system. His remedy goes far beyond building more prisons, hiring more police, or writing tougher penalties into the law. Such measures, he says, will have no effect on consciences or on the culture that trains consciences. Colson contends that a system of true justice can be built only if it is based on the foundation of a sound worldview. What we believe as individuals about the value of life, the essence of human nature, and the possibility of redemption is the critical issue that determines an effective approach to justice and reform. The key is changing the human heart, opening the way for forgiveness, reconciliation, and a new view of life. Not justice that rehabilitates, but justice that restores the soul.

Helfgott, Jacqueline B., et al. "Results From the Pilot Study of the Citizens, Victims, and Offenders Restoring Justice Program at the Washington State Reformatory." Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice (February 2000): pp. 5-31. Notes: Available full-text on Criminal Justice Periodical Index database.
Abstract: Citizens, Victims, and Offenders Restoring Justice Program is a prison-based program conducted as a pilot study at the Washington State Reformatory from 1997 to 1998. The purpose of the study was to explore ways in which the restorative justice model may be practically applied in a correctional setting. The pilot program consisted of development, implementation, and evaluation of three trials of a seminar on restorative justice involving victims, offenders, and citizens as participants. The development of the program is outlined, program goals and evaluation methods are summarized, and the evaluation results are presented. The combined quantitative and participant observational results show that the program was effective in achieving the four program goals. The seminar provided a safe environment for inmates to begin making amends for their crimes and for victims to heal, facilitated constructive communication between polarized groups, and encouraged development of creative ways of thinking about justice and strategies for dealing with crime. Implications of the results for future programs are discussed.

Hill, Gary. "Restorative Justice: A Canadian Approach." Corrections Compendium (August 2002): pp. 6-7. Notes: Available full-text on Criminal Justice Periodical Index database.
Abstract: Restorative justice has a variety of meanings and definitions. Restorative justice as an approach to justice focuses on repairing the harm caused by crime while holding the offender responsible for his or her actions. It provides an opportunity for the parties directly affected by the crimes to identify and address their needs in the aftermath of the crime. Seeking resolution that affords healing, reparation and reintegration, and preventing future harm is discussed in this article.

Johnstone, Gerry. Restorative Justice: Ideas, Values, Debates. Portland, OR: Willan Publishing, 2002. Call Number: HV 8688 .J64 2002
Abstract: Restorative justice is one of the most talked-about developments in the field of crime and justice. Its proponents argue that punishment, society's customary response to crime, neither meets the needs of victims nor prevents reoffending. In its place should be restorative justice, in which the families and communities of offenders encourage them to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions, express repentance, and repair the harm they have done. Restorative justice also emphasizes the reintegration of offenders into communities, rather than their control through strategies of punishment and exclusion. This book demonstrates that restorative justice cannot be understood as simply a new technique for controlling offenders. Rather, it represents a major paradigm shift, and a profound challenge to conventional understanding of what is meant by crime and justice and to how society should relate to offenders.

McGarrell, Edmund F. Restorative Justice Conferences As an Early Response to Young Offenders. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001.
Notes: Available online at http:///www.ncjrs.org, click on Search Abstract Database.
Abstract: A number of highly publicized and disturbing school shootings and homicides in several communities across the United States have focused the attention of the public and policymakers on the issues of youth violence and school safety. Although important, these issues tend to divert juvenile justice officials' attention from a separate problem: delinquency committed by very young children. Youth who become involved in the juvenile justice system at an early age are significantly more likely to continue offending than their older counterparts. It is estimated that 6 out of every 10 children ages 10 to 12 referred to juvenile court will return. The findings of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Study Group on Very Young Offenders confirm the significant implications of early offending. The risk of becoming a serious offender, for example, is 2 to 3 times higher for child delinquents ages 7 to 12 than for youth whose onset of delinquency is later. Because very young offenders are more likely to reoffend and to progress to serious delinquency, effective early intervention is crucial. This bulletin features restorative justice conferencing as a promising form of such early intervention.

Nicholl, Caroline G. Community Policing, Community Justice, and Restorative Justice . Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2000. Call Number: J 36.2:C 73
Abstract: This report explains how the principles of restorative justice and community policing complement one another to promote a shared responsibility between the police and the community in controlling crime, fear, and disorder.

________. Toolbox for Implementing Restorative Justice and Advancing Community Policing. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2000. Call Number: J 36.2:T 61
Abstract: This document explains the seven basic ingredients of restorative justice to help police agencies that are interested in starting a new restorative justice program to understand the issues that need attention before a program can start operation.

Pranis, Kay. Guide for Implementing the Balanced and Restorative Justice Model. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, December 1998. Call Number: J 32.8:I 4X
Abstract: The Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) model, developed by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, is an effective tool for achieving youth accountability and enhancing community safety. BARJ goals are to provide training and technical assistance and to develop a variety of written materials that inform policy and practice. The BARJ model focuses attention on enabling offenders to make amends to victims and communities, increasing offender competencies and protecting the public.

Presser, Lois and Patricia Van Voorhis. "Values and Evaluation: Assessing Process and Outcomes of Restorative Justice Programs." Crime & Delinquency (January 2002): pp. 162-88.
Abstract: Increased interest in restorative justice programs is accompanied by concern for whether they work and through what basic processes. Yet the task of evaluating restorative justice programs is a daunting one because they are so diverse, pursuing unique and multiple objectives. Restorative justice is guided by values that emphasize healing and social well-being of those affected by crime. These values must guide program evaluation. The authors of this article explore ways to conceptualize and measure program inputs and outputs for the purpose of assessing both processes and outcomes of restorative justice programs.

Restorative Justice Online. "Introduction: What is Restorative Justice?" [http://www.restorativejustice.org/rj3/info_default.htm].
Abstract: Restorative justice can be defined as a systematic response to wrongdoing that emphasizes healing the wounds of the victims, offenders and communities caused or revealed by crime. This website is an introduction to some of the programs and outcomes typically identified with restorative justice, such as victim offender mediation, conferencing, circles, victim assistance, ex-offender assistance, restitution, and community service.

Smith, Michael E. "Alternatives to Incarceration: What Future for 'Public Safety' and 'Restorative Justice' in Community Corrections?" Corrections Forum (July/August 2001): pp. 35-41.
Notes: Available full-text on Criminal Justice Periodical Index database.
Abstract: Public safety and restorative justice are big ideas now making claims on the future of community corrections. The author offers an assessment of the relative merits of public safety and restorative justice and discusses their role in future community corrections as strategic objectives for probation and patrol.

Strang, Heather and John Braithwaite [eds.]. Restorative Justice: Philosophy to Practice. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2000.
Call Number: HV 8688 .R493 2000
Abstract: The astonishing development of restorative justice practice over the past decade has inspired creative new thinking about the philosophy of punishment and principles of justice. Many of the questions raised in this book--such as the relationship between restorative and retributive justice and the values and processes which should guide restorative practice--are the subject of intense debates. With contributions from many of the most distinguished scholars in the field, this book analyzes the gap between philosophy and practice and the need for practice to be more informed by philosophy. This volume is a milestone in the development of those underlying principles which will direct the progress of restorative justice in the future.

Umbreit, Mark S. The Handbook of Victim Offender Mediation: An Essential Guide to Practice and Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001.
Call Number: HV 8688 .U52 2001
Abstract: This book is the first resource to provide a conceptual and research-based framework and a practical process for mediating a wide variety of criminal conflicts between victims of crime and their offenders. Step-by-step, it clearly defines how the process works, shows how to identify appropriate victim and offender participants, and reveals what it takes to prepare both sides for the upcoming meeting, which is facilitated through a humanistic, dialogue-driven form of mediation. The book also shows how to establish a safe place for dialogue and outlines the most efficient methods for conducting an effective, sensitive, and often emotion-laden victim-offender mediation.

Umbreit, Mark S. and Robert B. Coates. Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice: Potential Pitfalls and Dangers. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, April 2000. Call Number: J 34.2:M 91
Abstract: This report aims to inform practitioners about multicultural concerns associated with implementation of restorative justice approaches. The report provides a brief overview of restorative justice, examination of programs that attempt to apply restorative justice principles, considers program models that apply restorative justice principles and notes pitfalls and challenges of restorative justice approaches in cross-culture contexts. It presents ways to increase positive interactions when working with persons from different cultural backgrounds.

US Department of Justice. "Restorative Justice On-Line Notebook." [http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/rest-just/].
Abstract: This online resource is designed to promote the understanding of restorative justice. It is intended for all of those interested in better understanding the principles and practices of restorative justice and especially for those practitioners who hope to implement restorative justice in their communities.

Van Ness, Daniel W. and Karen Heetderks Strong. Restoring Justice. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson Publishing Company, 2002. Call Number: HV 8688 .V36 2002
Abstract: This book has set the standard for thinking about restorative justice since the mid-1980s. In this book, the authors build and expand on more than a decade of pioneering work in restorative justice and also incorporate cutting edge developments in philosophy and practice. The authors address many of the most difficult questions about restorative justice in an objective way, drawing on sound logic, supportive research, and successful practice. The book is a must for scholars, practitioners, and citizens interested in implementing or evaluating restorative justice practices.

Viano, Emillo C. "Restorative Justice for Victims Offenders: A Return to American Traditions." Corrections Today (July 2000): pp. 132-35.
Abstract: Restorative justice is a new frame of reference for considering and understanding crime and justice. It is a creative approach that will help corrections personnel accomplish public safety objectives. Restorative justice considers crime as a violation of human relationships rather than of laws. Crimes are perpetrated against victims and communities rather than against an abstract and impersonal government.