Book Review: Accountability in Restorative Justice
| Date | 01 January 2004 |
| Published date | 01 January 2004 |
| Author | Brian Stout |
| DOI | 10.1177/026975800401000309 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
288
can
impinge
upon
the
role
of
the
therapist,
forcing
the
therapist
into
a
precarious
situation
of
maintaining
client
trust
and
facing
contempt
of
court
charges
or
complying
with
legal
requests.
Anne
Hayman
stresses
too,
that
providing
infor-
mation
to
the
court
without
a
contextual
understanding
of
the
situation
is
potentially
harmful
to
the
client
and
lacks
accuracy.
The
final
theme
in
Legal
Issues
in
Counselling
&
Psychotherapy
is
the
concept
of
law
as
opportunity
for
engagement
and
dialogue.
Annabell
Bell
Boule
and
Tres
Roche
outline
the
ethical
and
legal
considerations
therapists
face
when
working
with
adult
victims
of
sexual
assault.
Finally,
Brian
Williams
provides
an
eye-opening
article
about
the
challenges
faced
by
victims,
witnesses
and
jurors
as
they
encounter
the
often
unfamiliar
legal
environment.
As
therapists
and
members
within
the
legal
profession
become
more
aware
of
these
difficulties,
challenges
must
be
made
to
these
systems
to
ensure
an
increasing
level
of
support
and
rights.
In
conclusion,
Legal
Issues
in
Counselling
&
Psychotherapy
provides
a
comprehensive
framework
for
therapists
regarding
both
ethical
and
legal
issues.
The
articles
in
this
book
are
often
solution-oriented
or
at
least
provide
guidance
for
the
often
confusing
and
complex
issues
that
therapists
face.
In
addition,
it
would
be
of
great
benefit
for
members
of
the
legal
profession
to
comprehend
the
many
issues
that
may
impact
upon
clients,
therapists,
witnesses
or
other
profes-
sionals
as
they
grapple
with
the
concepts
of
confidentiality,
disclosure
and
victim/clients'
rights
as
they
relate
to
the
law.
By
encouraging
a
positive
working
relationship
between
the
counselling
field
and
the
legal
field,
the
outcome
will
only
serve
to
benefit
both
parties
as
well
as
the
clients
they
serve.
Kim
Conant-Cook
Legal
Services
Specialist
Hennepin
County
Attorney's
Office-
Victim
Witness
Program
Minneapolis,
Minnesota,
USA
ACCOUNTABILITY
IN
RESTORATIVE
JUSTICE.
Declan
Roche.
Oxford
University
Press;
Oxford,
2003.
316
pp.
ISBN
0
19
9259356.
£50.
Restorative
Justice
has
now
become
such
a
widely
researched
and
written
about
subject
that
it
is
possible
to
overlook
the
risk
that
it
may
become
stuck
as
an
intervention
on
the
margins
of
the
criminal
justice
sysem,
reserved
for
low
risk
offenders
and
juveniles.
The
perceived
difficulties
in
making
restorative
justice
processes
accountable
could
limit
their
use
and
Roche
addresses
this
potential
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