Decolonising Restorative Justice - Leanne Alexis Levers

Decolonising Restorative Justice

A Case of Policy Reform
Buch | Hardcover
188 Seiten
2023
Routledge (Verlag)
978-1-032-37107-8 (ISBN)
168,35 inkl. MwSt
This book critically examines the colonial dimensions of restorative justice through the lens of justice policy reform in Jamaica.

Restorative justice is not new. Practices of restitution can be found throughout history, predominantly in non-Western traditions and religions. One of the key principles of restorative practices is contextualisation. That is, restorative practices are developed and embedded within the political, economic, and cultural context of the communities in which they are practised. Many of the countries that have gone on to develop restorative justice as part of their formal justice system have developed their policy on the model of their indigenous communities – for example, in Canada and in New Zealand. However, with the globalisation of restorative practices within the past decade, many countries have sought to ‘colonise’ restorative justice, by developing a standardised, best-practice approach. Instead of a practice that is developed and formed by its community, colonised restorative justice dictates that one size fits all. Examined through the lens of the development and implementation of restorative justice policies in Jamaica, this book argues that this Westernised approach diminishes the effectiveness of restorative justice in its capacity: to address the victim’s needs; to hold the offender accountable in a way that reintegrates them into society; and to empower the community by involving them in the provision of justice to victims. Restorative justice, then, must be decolonised –and local, indigenous practices acknowledged –if it is to achieve its aims.

This book will be of interest to a range of scholars with interests in decolonisation, as well as alternative dispute resolution, especially those in sociolegal studies, criminology, human rights, social policy, political science, and Caribbean studies.

Leanne Alexis Levers is a political scientist who works as a strategic advocacy, communications, and policy consultant, having in-depth knowledge of justice reform, global health, gender equality and racial justice. She is also the co-founder of Dope Black Women CIC, an award-winning global platform dedicating to the empowerment of Black women.

Foreword by Dr. Anthony Harriott ix

Foreword by Dr. Lloyd Barnett, OJ, PhD, LLD (Hon) xi

Acknowledgements xiii

1 Decolonisation and Restorative Justice 1

What Is Restorative Justice? 4

Decolonisation 6

Research Questions 13

Contributions 13

Chapter Summaries 16

Notes 18

References 20

2 Policy Transfer as a Tool of Decolonisation in the Caribbean 27

Dolowitz and Marsh Framework 32

Who Is Involved in Policy Transfer? 32

What Is the Motivation to Engage in Policy Transfer? 34

What Is Being Transferred? 35

From Where Is Information Transferred? 35

What Is the Degree of Transfer? 35

What Enables or Constrains Policy Transfer? 35

How Do These Factors Affect the Success or Failure of Policy Transfer? 36

Globalisation and Policy Transfer as a Tool of Colonialism 38

Justice Policy in the Caribbean 40

Methodology 42

Case Study Approach 43

Triangulation 45

Limitations of the Study 46

Ethical Considerations 50

Privacy 50

Researcher Effect 53

Conclusion 54

Notes 55

References 56

3 Crime, Politics, and Justice in Jamaica 64

Jamaican Class Structure 65

Jamaican Politics 68

Political Structure 68

Political Party Competitiveness, Clientelism, and Violence 70

Garrisons 72

Dons 73

Homogeneous Voting 74

The Rise of the Don and Organised Crime 74

Clientelism Continued: Appeasing the Elite 76

Clientelism Continued: International Stakeholders and the

State 78

Donor Countries 78

IFIs 80

Jamaican Justice Policy 81

Consequences of Semi-Coercive Policy Transfer 82

A Shift Towards Opportunistic Policy Transfer 83

Conclusion 86

Notes 87

References 89

4 Decolonising Restorative Justice within a Jamaican Context 95

The Failure of the Formal Jamaican Justice System 95

Access to Justice 96

Bias and Corruption 97

Lack of Contextual Legislation 98

Inhumane Treatment of Prisoners 99

Dissatisfaction with the Justice System 99

Does RJ Work? 100

Retributive Aspects of RJ 100

Does RJ Work in Jamaica? 102

Is Decolonisation Possible? 102

Imagining Decolonised RJ in Jamaica 105

Decolonisation Framework 106

The Roots of RJ 106

Public Opinion 108

The Trunk of RJ 109

Civil Society 111

Other Non-State Actors 114

Dons and the Jungle Justice System 115

Maroons Justice System 117

The Branches of RJ 119

The Fruit of RJ 121

Conclusion 121

Notes 122

References 126

5 A History of Restorative Justice in Jamaica 134

History of Restorative Justice in Jamaica 134

RJ National Policy 134

Conclusion 149

Notes 149

References 151

6 Examining the Transfer of Restorative Justice Policy in Jamaica 153

Dolowitz and Marsh Policy Framework 153

Who Was Involved in Policy Transfer? 154

What Was the Motivation for Policy Transfer? 161

Where Was the Policy Transferred From? 163

What Was Transferred? 164

What Was the Degree of Transfer? 166

What Factors Constrained or Enabled Policy Transfer? 167

What Was the Impact of Policy Transfer? 169

Conclusion 169

Notes 172

References 173

Appendix One: Document Analysis 175

Appendix Two: Garrison Information 177

Appendix Three: Timeline 178

Index 184

Erscheinungsdatum
Zusatzinfo 6 Tables, black and white; 7 Line drawings, black and white; 3 Halftones, black and white; 10 Illustrations, black and white
Verlagsort London
Sprache englisch
Maße 156 x 234 mm
Gewicht 453 g
Themenwelt Geisteswissenschaften Geschichte Regional- / Ländergeschichte
Geschichte Teilgebiete der Geschichte Wirtschaftsgeschichte
Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie Spezielle Soziologien
ISBN-10 1-032-37107-2 / 1032371072
ISBN-13 978-1-032-37107-8 / 9781032371078
Zustand Neuware
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