Restorative Justice and Democratic Participation.

Restorative justice, a normative theory and reform movement emphasizing dialogue and reconciliation between victim, offender, and community, has become part of the practice of criminal justice in the United States. This essay argues that restorative justice has a participatory core that distinguishes it as a normative theory of criminal justice. Advocates of restorative justice expect social change, especially the growth of non-punitive attitudes, to emerge from a public and de-professionalized context of adjudication. The role of lay participation in achieving social change, though prominent in restorative justice critiques of mainstream criminal justice norms and practices, has not been clearly articulated in practical terms. Significant ambiguities remain regarding the degree of lay participation, scope of authority, and the focus of restorative justice forums. The essay concludes that to have an effect on public attitudes towards crime and crime control policy, lay participation in restorative justice forums must be more widespread and more contentious than currently conceived. Barriers to more restorative criminal justice policy include limited public knowledge in this domain, lack of a sense of civic responsibility for improving criminal justice policy, and a traditional strain of punitiveness towards offenders. The first two barriers might be crossed by more widespread public deliberation in restorative justice forums, but the last will be much more difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]