Book Review: Relational Justice—Repairing the Breach
| Published date | 01 August 1995 |
| Date | 01 August 1995 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/002201839505900311 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
BOOK REVIEWS
Blackstone's Guide to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. By
MARTIN
WASIK
and
RICHARD
TAYLOR.
London: Blackstone Press Ltd.
Price: £19·95
The well-tried formula of marrying a concise guide to an important Act of
Parliament with the text
of
the Act itself, and publishing the whole in an
attractive format at a reasonable price has triumphed again. There has been
no more controversial Act concerning the criminal law since the Police and
Criminal Evidence Act a decade ago as shown by the variety of
demonstrations during the parliamentary passage of the Bill. Now in the
comparative calm that has followed, practitioners need some accurate,
steady guidance through the provisions.
This small publishing house with a growing reputation has turned again
to the two authors who produced their much praised guide to the Criminal
Justice Act
1991,
and there is every reason to think that this book will be
equally successful. A detailed resume of the major provisions traces the steps
from the repeal of the existing law (where applicable) to the reasons for
reform, through to the likely practical effect
of
the newly enacted law. That
the authors are able to perform a thoroughly competent and workmanlike
task in such a small compass speaks volumes for their economy of thought
and conciseness of expression. Blackstone Press deserve to have another
success on their hands.
RelationalJustice-Repairing the
Breach.
Edited by
JONATHAN
BURNSIDE
and
NICOLA
BAKER.
Winchester: Waterside Press. Price: £10
This is a unique series of essays with the common theme of suggesting a
better way for criminal justice policy. Lord Woolf provides a foreword in
which he asserts that one of the underlying causes of the breakdown of
social behaviour is the 'total or partial failure of relationships-the
relationships which should exist among and between individuals, communities
and institutions'. What follows are contributions from different parts
of
the
criminal justice spectrum suggesting-inter
alia-that
there are more
constructive approaches than merely responding to the clamour for more or
larger prisons.
In the focus on relationships, the analysis is not merely offender-orientated,
and the interests of the victim and the scope for mediation/reparation are
considered. Many other relational issues also fall under the spotlight. The
publication of this work is timely. The contents are informative and thought
provoking. The cost is extremely modest.
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