Baraboo REFLEXIVE STATEMENTWhen I began teaching sociology and anthropology college classes in a federal prison, I had to deal for many years with a personal struggle. The people around me, the media, and politicians presented clear cut lines between law abiding citizens and criminals, who supposedly violated the law as a personal decision based on selfishness, laziness, and asocial character traits. Yet my own experiences in my prison classroom were dramatically different. Every convict had a unique story of why he was incarcerated, making generalizations impossible. Most of my students were thoughtful people, who had difficult, often abusive histories. For various reasons many of them were trapped in their life situations. This kind of stereotyping dehumanizes them and sets them up as scapegoats for other, structural problems. This article wants to convey the humanness and rawness of classroom interactions and the ultimately rewarding nature of this work for those who open up to it.

No abstract

No abstract

Abstract.Empirical studies over the past decades have repeatedly shown the limited usefulness of harsh punishment in reducing crime. In response to these research results, historical approaches to crime reduction, such as mediation and restorative justice, have regained prominence, especially in Germany and other western European countries. The women's movement and the growing role of victimology have contributed to the increased use of these methods as alternatives to incarceration. The debates across these countries vary depending on the historical background of the penal climate in these states, which particularly explains the differences between Eastern and Western European countries in this regard. Empirical studies show the positive impact of mediation on offenders as well as victims. yet in spite of these results, in most countries, including Germany, the use of mediation remains limited, especially in regard to adult offenders. At the same time, the uses of mediation in non-criminal conflict settings, such as schools, family or work disputes have increased significantly with positive results.

[full article, abstract in English; only abstract in Lithuanian] This article provides an overview of the main themes and controversies in the restorative justice discussions in Europe and the US with special attention to the role of victims and mediators. This discussion is contextualized through a short description of the history of both state-centered and community-oriented restorative systems in response to law violation. Indigenous and pre-state formation responses to crime have predominantly been of a restorative nature with an interest in healing the harm experienced by all participants, aimed at addressing social problems and strengthening the community as a whole.