On 3 October 2018, the new Council of Europe Recommendation concerning restorative justice (RJ) in criminal matters was adopted. Many victims and offenders are being excluded from RJ. This results from low levels of awareness of RJ among the populations of member States and, in some countries, from a lack of national policies, funding or coordination of its use. There remains a role for all policymakers, practitioners and other professionals involved in criminal justice to promote, enable or use RJ. It is necessary to promote new, innovative approaches and uses of restorative justice, including ways in which RJ is used within the criminal justice system, but also externally to the criminal procedure.
Click here to find more information, including the links to the recommendation and its commentary.