The Local Provision of Restorative Justice in Scotland: an Exploratory Empirical Study

Maglione, Giuseppe; Buchan, Jamie; Robertson, Laura

Abstract

This article presents the results of the first empirical qualitative research on the provision of restorative justice (RJ) in Scotland, based on interviews with 14 practitioners. In Scotland, RJ has attracted the attention of penal reformers and practitioners since the late 1980s, offering an alternative to criminal justice practices based on retribution and/or rehabilitation whilst promising to reduce reoffending and heal people harmed by crime. In 2017, the Scottish Government has fully recognized the existence of RJ by issuing the first national ‘Guidance’ for the delivery of this process, followed by an ambitious ‘Action Plan’. In spite of such a long-lasting interest and recent policy recognition, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the organization and actual delivery of RJ in Scotland. In fact, research on this subject is scant, anecdotal and dated. This article addresses this knowledge gap by presenting original data on the provision of RJ within Scottish local authorities. The findings show similar understandings of RJ, context-specific organizational models and common systemic challenges characterizing RJ providers, generating evidence to critically assess recent Scottish policy on RJ, whilst drawing implications with relevance for the development of RJ across Europe.

Citation

Maglione, G., Buchan, J., & Robertson, L. (2022). The Local Provision of Restorative Justice in Scotland: an Exploratory Empirical Study. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 28, 617-640. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-020-09470-3

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 1, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Nov 27, 2020
• Publication Date: 2022-12
• Deposit Date: Nov 26, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 15, 2020
• Journal: European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research
• Print ISSN: 0928-1371
• Electronic ISSN: 1572-9869
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Pages: 617-640
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-020-09470-3
• Keywords: Restorative justice, Community justice, Qualitative interviews, System-level challenges, Scotland
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2698888