Contemporary Restorative Justice Practices in Europe
| Author | Ida Hydle |
| Pages | 5-8 |
Contemporary Restorative Justice Practices in Europe
5
CONTEMPORARY RESTORATIVE
JUSTICE PRACTICES IN EUROPE
Ida Hydle, Chair of Evaluatory Research Group, COST Action A21
In November 2002 a group of researchers in the field of restorative justice from 21
European countries met for the first time in Brussels. That was the start of the European
Concerted Research Action “Restorative Justice Developments in Europe”, the so-called
COST-network on Restorative Justice, funded mainly through the 6th Framework
Programme of the European Union and administered by the European Science
Foundation. The proposer, Professor Ivo Aertsen, University of Leuven in Belgium, wrote
in his proposal:
Taking into consideration that the issue of victim-offender mediation and
other restorative justice practices is an innovating area of research, not
being covered explicitly by any other EU research programme, the
establishment of a COST Action on restorative justice developments in
Europe would be significant in order to provide scientific grounding and
support for new and promising practices in the field of criminal justice and
to further implement the EU policy decisions.
The aim of this COST Action was “to enhance and deepen knowledge on theoretical and
practical aspects of restorative justice in Europe, with a view to supporting
implementation strategies in a scientifically sound way”1. One of the key strategies
delineated in the Memorandum of Understanding was to develop an evidence base
regarding current restorative justice practices in Europe. Restorative justice, in its various
guises, promises a novel approach to dealing with the needs of offenders, victims and the
wider community. Presently, knowledge regarding these initiatives is fragmented.
Aertsen further wrote:
More precisely, the Action is focused on analysing:
• the process and the effects of victim-offender mediation and conferencing,
• national recording systems,
• national legislation in relation to victim-offender mediation,
• the relation between criminal justice and restorative justice practices and
agencies,
• training models and the experience of training legal professionals in the
restorative justice area
• new restorative justice models and applications
• theoretical concepts, approaches and frameworks on restorative justice
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