Understanding restorative justice : how empathy can close the gap created by crime / Pete Wallis.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This unique book is a clear and detailed introduction that analyses how restorative justice nurtures empathy, exploring key themes such as responsibility, shame, forgiveness and closure.The core notion of the book is that when a crime is committed, it separates people, creating a 'gap'. This can only be reduced or closed through information and insight about the other person, which have the potential to elicit empathy and compassion from both sides. The book explores this extraordinary journey from harm to healing using the structure of a timeline: from an offence, through the criminal justice process and into the heart of the restorative meeting.Using case studies, the book offers a fresh angle on a topic that is of growing interest both in the UK and internationally. It is ideal as a comprehensive introduction for those new to restorative justice and as a best practice guide for existing practitioners.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Contents (p. v)
• List of figures, tables and boxes (p. viii)
• List of cartoons (p. x)
• About the author (p. xi)
• Acknowledgements (p. xiii)
• Who is this book for? (p. xv)
• Introduction (p. 1)
• What is restorative justice? (p. 1)
• Natural justice (p. 3)
• Why the fascination with restorative justice? (p. 4)
• Why do people choose restorative justice? (p. 5)
• A magnetic pull (p. 6)
• The importance of empathy (p. 6)
• To get to the heart (p. 8)
• A note on terminology (p. 9)
• Part 1 Empathy Level Zero: hurting (p. 13)
• 1 Crime and unhappiness (p. 15)
• Crime and the rule of law (p. 15)
• Why do people commit crime? (p. 16)
• the link between empathy and offending (p. 21)
• 2 The gap caused by crime (p. 25)
• The starting point for the person responsible (p. 25)
• The starting point for the person harmed (p. 27)
• Two categories of crime (p. 29)
• Both are likely to start at the bottom of the empathy scale (p. 30)
• If no one is caught (p. 31)
• The gap (p. 33)
• Part 2 Empathy Level One: seeing (p. 39)
• 3 Entering the criminal justice system (p. 41)
• Police investigation (p. 41)
• Pure restorative justice (p. 42)
• 'On-the-spot' restorative justice (p. 43)
• Pre-court restorative justice (p. 44)
• A more balanced system? The notion of 'parallel justice' (p. 44)
• 4 Into the criminal courts (p. 49)
• Not guilty: the end of the road for restorative justice (p. 50)
• Crime and punishment (p. 56)
• Retributive versus restorative (p. 58)
• How could the criminal justice system be more restorative? (p. 59)
• Part 3 Empathy Level Two: voicing (p. 69)
• 5 Unripe restorative justice (p. 71)
• Pacing and timing (p. 71)
• Positional stalemate (p. 73)
• Unripe restorative justice: the danger area when it is too (p. 73)
• early for an apology or for forgiveness (p. 73)
• A hollow apology (p. 74)
• Just in it to be heard: can restorative justice work when people have little or no empathy? (p. 76)
• Venting (p. 77)
• 6 Restorative enquiry (p. 79)
• The initial approach (p. 79)
• Restorative enquiry (p. 80)
• 7 The keys and blocks to restorative justice (p. 89)
• Taking responsibility (p. 89)
• From responsibility to empathy (p. 91)
• 'What have I done?' The value of victim empathy courses (p. 92)
• What about people with zero empathy? (p. 97)
• Keys for the person responsible (p. 98)
• 8 Choice, encouragement or coercion? (p. 101)
• A continuum of voluntariness (p. 102)
• What's in it for me? (p. 105)
• They should be genuine (p. 106)
• Choice and control for those harmed (p. 106)
• Keys for the person harmed (p. 107)
• The need to feel heard (p. 107)
• Blocks for the person harmed (p. 110)
• The end of the journey (p. 111)
• Part 4 Empathy Level Three: hearing (p. 115)
• 9 Indirect restorative justice (p. 117)
• Care with the ownership of information (p. 117)
• Indirect communication (p. 118)
• Why so little restorative justice? (p. 119)
• A partnership of the willing (p. 122)
• 10 The restorative meeting (p. 125)
• The start of the restorative meeting (p. 126)
• Hearing the story of the person responsible (p. 131)
• Hearing the story of the person harmed (p. 135)
• The truth will out (p. 137)
• The role of others (p. 142)
• Transition (p. 144)
• Exploring needs (p. 145)
• Part 5 Empathy Level Four: helping (p. 149)
• 11 'Doing sorry' (p. 151)
• Moving forward (p. 151)
• Negotiating outcomes (p. 152)
• Endings (p. 154)
• The practitioner's role (p. 155)
• 12 Does it always go so well? (p. 157)
• Difficult cases where the ice won't melt (p. 158)
• Don't give up (p. 160)
• Part 6 Empathy Level Five: healing (p. 161)
• 13 Into the heart of restorative justice (p. 163)
• Shame, guilt and empathy (p. 163)
• Responsibility and accountability (p. 167)
• Stuckness and movement (p. 170)
• Meaning (p. 173)
• Forgiveness (p. 174)
• Healing (p. 178)
• Reintegration (p. 181)
• Restoration (p. 183)
• Closure (p. 184)
• Afterwards (p. 185)
• Conclusion (p. 193)
• Appendix: Further information and resources (p. 197)
• Index (p. 201)

Author notes provided by Syndetics