RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION

Detention conditions and prison overcrowding are among the main challenges that the EU Member States are dealing with. At the EU level there is much discussion on how to develop and promote alternatives to detention that could eliminate potential violations of the core human rights values of the European Union and ensure societal benefits including reducing the costs of maintaining prisons, improving the prospects for social rehabilitation and accordingly, less recidivism. Restorative justice values and practices can make important contributions in this field since it offers a practical alternative to the punitive impulse that results in high levels of imprisonment in many countries.status: publishe