Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants
Barriers to Implementing Restorative Justice: A Pilot Program Case Study
Department
School of Criminal Justice
College
College of Community and Public Service
Date Range
2013-2014
Disciplines
Law
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of a pilot restorative justice program in Grand Rapids, MI. Specifically, the intent is to explore the Fast Track Accountability Program (FTAP), a victim offender mediation program, from conception to implementation. The authors describe the participants involved, the steps taken, the obstacles, as well as the lessons learned along the way. Particular attention is given to the essential role of strong leadership and obstacles that implementing such a program face within the bureaucracy of the current retributive criminal justice system. This examination represents an attempt to continue to shift the literature on restorative justice from the conceptual and theoretical to the practical and personal, and as such is presented as a case study. Accordingly, the following should be regarded as unique and not necessarily replicable across contexts, but is offered in order to encourage others in their efforts to move restorative justice from vision to reality.
Conference Name
The American Society of Criminology
Conference Location
Atlanta, GA
ScholarWorks Citation
Gerkin, Patrick and Walsh, John, "Barriers to Implementing Restorative Justice: A Pilot Program Case Study" (2014). Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants. 913.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/fsdg/913
