The astonishing development of restorative justice practice over the past decade has inspired creative new thinking about the philosophy of punishment and principles of justice.  Many of the questions raised in this book – such as the relationship between restorative and retributive justice and the values and processes which should guide restorative practice – are the subject of intense debates.  With contributions from many of the most distinguished scholars in the field, this book analyzes the gap between philosophy and practice and the need for practice to be more informed by philosophy.  This volume is a milestone in the development of those underlying principles which will direct the progress of restorative justice in the future.

'The great strength of Strang and Braithwaite's book is that it digs deep...it deserves to be widely read by practitioners from police, probation, judiciary, social and education services, looking for a fresh perspective on offending behaviour and the social consequences of crime.' Charles Pollard, Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, UK '...offers a very cogent defence of restorative justice...recommended to anyone who has an interest in and some knowledge of current issues in restorative justice.' SCOLAG 'There is much provocative food for thought here...' The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice

Heather Strang The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia worked as a criminologist at the Australian Institute of Criminology before moving to the Australian National University in 1994. She runs the RISE experiment on restorative justice in Canberra and is a leading expert on homicide and on victimology.

John Braithwaite The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia is a scholar of business regulation and criminal justice.