By Martin Wright.
Waterside Press

£20, ISBN 1 872 870 78 3

This book presents a “virtual” symposium on restorative justice in which imaginary speakers provide a critique of our criminal justice system and present arguments why restorative justice can do better.

The speakers fall into three camps. The Politician and The Judge argue that they and their colleagues make the best of a bad job. The slogan “prison works” works, says The Politician, even if prison doesn’t.

The Psychologist and The Philosopher, however, contend that the punishment and the legal systems only serve the interests of lawyers, not those of victims or offenders.

This, in turn, creates the space for the three practitioners to argue the merits of restorative justice: The Probation Officer, The Victim Assist-ance Worker and The Mediator.

This very accessible book is an invaluable introduction to the ideas behind restorative justice and a convincing argument for extending the range of restorative justice initiatives being piloted across the UK.

The one problem is the lack of voices of those who in the real world retain the upper hand, such as the home secretary’s promises to get tougher still on “persistent young offenders”. This book is the case for the converted, now bring on The Devil’s Advocate.

David Porteous is lecturer and research fellow, University of Luton.