Narrative practices in restorative justice

Abstract

This paper gives a description of methodologies, practices and principles of narrative practices and an overview of restorative practices as a foundation for a suggested combination of the two approaches in dealing with criminal incidents. It notes similarities between the two approaches, including the importance of stories, involvement of communities and individuals in their own conflicts, rejection of blame, searching the broader social landscape for explanation and influence and acknowledging and accepting contradictory stories. The author sees the two movements as coming from different directions but occupying overlapping territories and identifies — two areas where combined use of the two approaches could be beneficial — at the interface between restorative justice and the courts and in the role of communities in restorative justice practice. It concludes with an invitation to practitioners to test the ideas for cross-fertilisation outlined in the article and to develop programmes that draw from both sets of practices for the benefit of victims, offenders and communities.