December 2007 Edition
Stories include: South Australia: Nunga Court II – Aboriginal Sentencing Conferences; Making Sense of North American and South African Differences in the Practice of Restorative Justice; Meet Scott Harris; Book Review: Justice as a Basic Human Need; Video Review: Achieving Balanced and Restorative Justice in Pennsylvania’s Juvenile justice System; Website of the Month: Conflict Resolution Network Canada.
South Australia: Nunga Court II – Aboriginal Sentencing Conferences
The Nunga Court of South Australia was established in 1999 to provide a culturally relevant sentencing option for Aboriginal offenders. 2005 legislation legitimizing the Nunga court required that victims be given the opportunity to participate in addition to the offender, elders, and community members. In response, the regional court in Port Lincoln is piloting an Aboriginal Sentencing Court incorporating elements of the Nunga Court model and restorative conferencing and sentencing circles from Canada. This article summarizes a paper by Dr. Andrew Cannon, Deputy Chief Magistrate and Senior Warden for South Australia, describing the new Aboriginal Sentencing Conferences. A link to the full paper is below.
Making Sense of North American and South African Differences in the Practice of Restorative Justice
Cultural realities in North America and South Africa influence the way practice is undertaken. In this article, Susan Sharpe and George Lai Thom explore how those differences impact the practice of victim offender mediation in those two contexts.
Meet Scott Harris
Scott Harris is the Director of Restorative Justice for the Correctional Service of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Book Review: Justice as a Basic Human Need
This compilation of interdisciplinary essays discusses the concept of “justice” as a basic need in terms of Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation.
Video Review: Achieving Balanced and Restorative Justice in Pennsylvania’s Juvenile justice System
This 23-minute video explores the principles and programmes of the Balanced and Restorative Justice initiative in the juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania.
Website of the Month: Conflict Resolution Network Canada
Conflict Resolution Network Canada is a non-profit with 20-years of experience in promoting peaceful conflict resolution in Canada. With a broad range of interest ranging from schools to criminal justice to international peacemaking, the organization offers a wide range of services for Canadians in the area of conflict resolution. The website is available in English and French.
