This issue of Les Cahiers de PV takes a look at new approaches and initiatives aimed at responding to situations of violence. Several contexts are examined:
- disputes between young people and schools;
- finding solutions in communities that want to maintain harmony within their neighborhoods or communities of belonging;
- alternatives to incarceration in cases as sensitive as violence against women;
- meetings between victims and offenders at the time of sentencing.
This wide range of situations translates into initiatives that pursue a variety of objectives, such as compensating for the shortcomings of the traditional justice system, avoiding recourse to incarceration, and offering spaces where people can participate in managing their conflicts and finding solutions. These objectives are legitimate in themselves. But exploring other forms of sociopenal measures is proving to be neither simple nor linear. It requires the formulation of multiple questions and the exercise of reservations and nuances. Indeed, positions differ depending on whether one is on the side of the victims or the offenders.
This dossier reflects the questions, resistance and criticism surrounding restorative justice programs and alternative measures. Many questions remain unanswered. Here are a few examples:
- What about power imbalances between victims and offenders in certain victimization contexts?
- How can we explain victims’ low level of participation and disinterest in restorative justice programs?
- How can we ensure that offenders don’t use alternative measures to get off lightly?
This dossier does not pretend to explore all the initiatives and programs in this field. It does, however, provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the many organizations and individuals involved in these new approaches, whether in the courts, correctional services, alternative justice organizations, schools or communities. It also highlights the importance of targeting best practices and placing greater emphasis on evaluative research to provide satisfactory answers to recurring questions.