Dr. Lindsey Pointer, the Associate Director of the National Center on Restorative Justice and the Center for Justice Reform, is serving as an editor for the North American volume of the International Encyclopedia of Restorative Justice. This is an international collaboration that aims to document the growth of restorative justice around the world. Please see the call for papers below and consider submitting a proposal.
The editorial team for the North American Volume of the International Encyclopedia of Restorative Justice seeks proposals for short chapters (1500–2500 words) that explore restorative justice research, practice, law, and/or policy within the United States. The Encyclopedia, organized by country, aims to contextualize restorative justice alongside and within broader social justice and societal developments. Each volume focuses on restorative justice within and beyond the criminal justice system, seeking a broader and more in-depth understanding of how current developments contribute to a re-conceptualization of justice in various international environments.
Proposals and chapters should not be general explorations of restorative justice, but rather examine a single US state (for a total of 15 states). We will consider proposals that approach restorative justice by region (e.g., Midwest United States, Northeastern United States). Regional proposals should describe how such an approach is preferable to a single site examination.
We are particularly interested in proposals and chapters that focus on restorative justice in the context of criminal or juvenile justice systems. Such topics may include:
- The origins and development of restorative justice in a single state or region, including the role and relationship of both community and state;
- The local political, legislative, and policy frameworks/context of restorative justice;
- Evaluation and research on specific restorative justice programs or initiatives, where specific areas of focus or application might include,
- pre-trial diversion, post-adjudication, or re-entry in the juvenile justice system, adult criminal justice,
- restorative approaches for minor or first-time offenses, and/or for particular groups or communities,
- restorative-centered criminal justice reform,
- restorative models of policing,
- indigenous justice programs or initiatives or applications,
- new emerging opportunities and innovations;
- Review and analysis of important variation(s) in and among restorative justice programs or initiatives in the state or region;
- Limitations of restorative justice programs, initiatives or applications (e.g., moratoriums on certain cases or issues or limited entry points etc.);
- The relationship between restorative justice initiatives and the formal criminal justice system, specifically addressing how restorative justice may operate,
- within the criminal justice system;
- alongside/connected to the criminal justice system (e.g., as diversionary or alternative measures programs);
- outside the system (community based without reliance or relationship to the formal system), focused on crime prevention (at individual or systemic levels)
Submission procedure: Proposals should be approximately 250–500 words double-spaced and include a draft title. Proposals should be clear as to the specific state/region to be discussed in the final chapter. Proposals and chapters may be single or co-authored. We particularly welcome submission by BIPOC authors, and authors with academic or practitioner backgrounds.
Please submit proposals by August 31, 2021 to Lindsey Pointer, Associate Director of the National Center on Restorative Justice, Center for Justice Reform, Vermont Law School, at: lpointer@vermontlaw.edu. Proposals will be selected on a rolling basis, with final selections completed by October 15, 2021. Paper outlines are suggested by December 15, in anticipation of a workshop in early January (which may be remote, in-person or a hybrid format, depending on funding and public health considerations). Final chapters will be due in March 2022.