Restorative justice and public opinion : the role of citizen, community and the state in justice.

Abstract

Existing research on public opinion of restorative justice has shown public support for restorative principles. However, there has been little to no qualitative research exploring what aspects of restorative justice are supported by the public. This research attempts to fill this gap by focusing on how people view the ideal relationship between communities, individuals and the state and whether this supports a restorative approach to justice. This thesis will show that focus group and town hall participants think about justice as existing along a continuum, with different principles of justice taking priority at different points along the continuum. This continuum helps us understand varying levels of community and government intervention in justice matters with the responsibility of justice being shared based on the principle of justice being prioritized.