The Psychology of Restorative Justice

This ground-breaking collection dares to take the next step in the advancement of an autonomous, inter-disciplinary restorative justice field of study. It brings together criminology, social psychology, legal theory, neuroscience, affect-script psychology, sociology, forensic mental health, political sciences, psychology and positive psychology to articulate for the first time a psychological concept of restorative justice.

To this end, the book looked into the power structures of the restorative justice movement, the very psychology, motivations and emotions of the practitioners who implement it as well as the drivers of its theoreticians and researchers. Furthermore, it looked at the strengths and weakness of our own societies and the communities that are called to participate as parties in restorative justice. Their own biases, hunger for power and control, fears and hopes are also investigated. Also relevant was the psychology and dynamics between those it aims to reach as well as those who are funding it including policy makers and politicians. All these questions led to creating an understanding of the psychology of restorative justice. The book is essential reading for academics, researchers, policymakers, practitioners and campaigners.The volume concludes with a call for a move towards an independent restorative justice discipline that does not ignore its own psychology and the learning that we can take from it through the tools supplied by sciences. This is the first edited collection establishing a psychological concept of restorative justice.