Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice: Potential Pitfalls and Dangers

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U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Office for Victims of Crime

Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice:
Potential Pitfalls and Dangers

Mark S. Umbreit, Ph.D., Director
Robert B. Coates, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate

Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking
(formerly Center for Restorative Justice & Mediation)
School of Social Work
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota

April 2000

Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice: Potential Pitfalls and Dangers

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531

Janet Reno
Attorney General

Daniel Marcus
Acting Associate Attorney General

Mary Lou Leary
Acting Assistant Attorney General

Kathryn M. Turman
Director, Office for Victims of Crime

Office of Justice Programs
World Wide Web Home Page
www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Office for Victims of Crime
World Wide Web Home Page
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc

For grant and funding information contact
U.S. Department of Justice Response Center
1-800-421-6770

OVC Resource Center
1-800-627-6872
OVC Resource Center Home Page
www.ncjrs.gov

NCJ 176348

This document was prepared by the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking (formerly the Center for Restorative Justice & Mediation) under grant number 96–VF–GX–K006, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Contents:

Message From the Director

Acknowledgments

I. Introduction

II. Restorative Justice:
Scope and Framework

III. Restorative Justice:
Program Adaptations

IV. Potential Cross-Cultural
Pitfalls and Dangers

Differences in Communication Styles

Differences Among Cultures

Differences Within Cultures

Racism as a Subset of Cultural Conflict

V. Ways To Increase
Positive Interaction

Cultural Skills for the Restorative Justice Practitioner

Know Thyself

Get To Know the Participants

Prepare the Participants

VI. Conclusion

Appendix A. The Case of a Community Reparation Board Meeting

Appendix B. Diversity

Bibliography

Contact Information

PDF and ASCII Files

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