Reintegration and restorative justice: towards a theory and practice of informal social control and support

Abstract

Worse still, we fear that even when something does work, it is seen to do so only in the eyes of certain professionals, while ‘outside’ the system ordinary citizens are left without a role or voice in the criminal justice process. (Braithwaite and Mugford 1994)Parole and aftercare practice has been stymied historically by an insular focus on the needs and risks of offenders. Having identified these needs and risks, intervention professionals then proceed to develop supervision plans that gear levels of surveillance to the documented levels of threat presented by the offender. In some jurisdictions, and especially in juvenile justice agencies, these professionals also conduct offender needs assessments and attempt to match offenders with appropriate services and treatment or remedial programmes designed to address the deficit in question. Though various aftercare models talk about communitybased agencies, and occasionally about the role of work and educational institutions, the parole/aftercare enterprise is in essence a highly individualized one.