"Restorative Justice behind Bars": Prisoners' Perceptions on Restorative Justice in Custodial Settings

There is little written on Restorative Justice in custodial settings. The present research constitutes a compilation of articles that aim to explore the applicability of restorative justice in prisons, and therefore fill the conceptual gap between the notion of imprisonment and that of restoration. Initially, this study creates a conceptual framework for restorative justice employing both historical and religious sources. More specifically, it seeks to (re)discover the historical roots of restorative justice as an attempt to settle long-lived disputations concerning its origin. Bearing in mind the results derived from the historical review, criticisms are raised based on conceptual and operational barriers prior to envisaging and providing suggestions for the construction of a ‘restorative prison’. In parallel, it is explained how and why some of the core elements of restorative justice (such as forgiveness, reintegration, and reconciliation) are compatible with religion (in our case, with Christianity) revealing the contribution of religion to the promotion of restorative justice. This part of our research reports findings from qualitative inquiries (interviews and participatory observation) referring to the restorative justice programmes developed by faith-based organizations in penitentiaries in New Zealand and in South Africa. On a theoretical level, the present thesis discusses the compatibility, as well as the barriers, between imprisonment and restorative justice focusing on how the latter could be overcome. Ultimately, the answers given here serve as a stepping-stone for measuring the capacity of a prison to progress in restorative justice matters. The methodological part is consisted of quantitative tools (questionnaires) addressed to prisoners held in several prisons across Belgium, evaluating their perceptions on the impact of crime on their victims, their possible openness or willingness to engaging in restorative activities, their relationships with the victim and the community, and the possible impact of religion on the implementation of restorative justice programmes