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PROPOSING RESTORATIVE JUSTICE MODELS AS ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING CRIMINAL MATTERS: A CASE STUDY OF JUDICIAL SYSTEMS IN CIVIL AND COMMON LAW COUNTRIES

1. Introduction. – 2. Methods and Materials. – 3. Discussion. – 3.1. Critical theories and principles influencing the legal foundations of restorative justice. – 3.2. Essential legal instruments for establishing a restorative justice framework. – 3.3. Proposing restorative justice models for unestablished judicial systems. – 3.3.1. Victim-offender mediation. – 3.3.2. Community reparative boards model. – 3.3.3. Family group conferencing model. – 3.3.4. Circle sentencing model. – 4. Conclusions.

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Abstract

 Background: In recent years, restorative justice has emerged as a mechanism to enhance the

involvement of victims in criminal proceedings. Its primary objective is to repair the damage
caused by the offence, acknowledging it as a genuine injury in need of healing. While criminal
proceedings might vary across jurisdictions based on fundamental principles of human rights,
the broader aim is to offer a more comprehensive response to crime, aiming not only to punish
but also to reform offenders and reduce future criminal behaviour.
Methods: This qualitative study employed a descriptive, analytical method, utilising case
studies and comparative analysis to explore restorative justice models in established judicial
systems and their applicability to unestablished framework countries. By analysing and
synchronising secondary materials, the research aimed to provide in-depth insights into
successful practices and potential adaptations.
Results and conclusions: The results reveal that several restorative justice models have been
developed all over the world to align with the legal, socio-political, and cultural contexts of
different regions and jurisdictions, such as Canada, New Zealand, and Norway. Despite the
variety of restorative justice models, this exploratory study scrutinised four non-adversarial
decision-making models: victim-offender mediation, community reparative boards, family
group conferencing, and circle sentencing. These four models illustrate an alternative approach
to community involvement in crime response, emphasising the diversity and shared themes of
community engagement in sanctioning processes. The results offer resourceful guidelines for
unestablished judicial systems like Vietnam to choose models best suited to specific needs.

About Authors

 Oanh Thi Cao

Ph.D. (Law), Associate Professor, Faculty of Criminal Law, Hanoi Law University, Hanoi,
Vietnam
oanhhs@hlu.edu.vn
Corresponding author, responsible for conceptualization, methodology, resources,
investigation and writing – original draft.
 
Tuan Van Vu
Ph.D. (Foreign Languages), Lecturer, Faculty of Legal Foreign Languages, Hanoi Law
University, Hanoi, Vietnam
tuanvv@hlu.edu.vn
Co-author, responsible for writing – review & editing.

Competing interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
 
Disclaimer: The authors declare that their opinion and views expressed in this manuscript
are free of any impact of any organizations.

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Keywords

  • restorative justice, judicial system, criminal proceedings, restorative conferencing models, sanctioning processes.

Publication history

  •  Date of submission: 20 Jul 2024

    Date of acceptance: 26 Aug 2024

    Date of Online First publication: 21 Sep 2024

    Date of publication: 15 Nov 2024

    Whether the manuscript was fast tracked? - No

    Number of reviewer report submitted in first round: 2 reports

    Number of revision rounds: 2 rounds, revised version submitted 14 Aug 2024

How to cite it?

  • Thi Cao O and Van Vu T, ‘Proposing Restorative Justice Models as Alternative Approaches to Addressing Criminal Matters: a Case Study of Judicial Systems in Civil and Common Law Countries’ (2024) 7(4) Access to Justice in Eastern Europe 93-119 <https://doi.org/10.33327/AJEE-18-7.4-a000108>