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Restorative Justice and “Empowerment”: Producing and Governing Active Subjects through “Empowering” Practices

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Abstract

During the last quarter-century, restorative justice has emerged as a widely-utilised response to crime in Western nations. This article, which stems from a Foucauldian genealogy of restorative justice, argues that its embeddedness within the discourse of “empowerment” renders restorative justice a politically acceptable response to crime. “Empowerment”, it is argued, is one of many conditions of emergence of restorative justice. The discourse of “empowerment” underpins restorative justice in tangible ways, and has informed legislation and policy in Western jurisdictions. This article seeks to problematise the taken-for-granted nature of this discourse. It argues that the discourse of “empowerment” produces restorative justice subjects who are increasingly governed and governable. As “empowering” restorative practices are targeted towards “disempowered” individuals and communities, concerns are raised about the potential of restorative justice to disproportionately impact upon socially marginalised populations and to increase social exclusion.

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Notes

  1. Although the definition of restorative justice is contested, many adopt Marshall’s (1996): 37 definition—that it is “a process whereby all the parties with a stake in a particular offence come together to resolve collectively how to deal with the aftermath of the offence and its implications for the future”. Practices such as victim-offender mediation, victim-offender reconciliation, youth justice conferencing and circle sentencing are widely accepted to be examples of restorative justice.

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  1. Centre for Restorative Justice, Australian National University, GPO Box 2944, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

    Kelly Richards

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Richards, K. Restorative Justice and “Empowerment”: Producing and Governing Active Subjects through “Empowering” Practices. Crit Crim 19, 91–105 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-010-9106-8

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