Building Bridges

Preface v
Acknowledgements 1

Chapter 1 Restorative justice and Building Bridges 3
1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 Limitations of restorative justice 6
1.2.1 Securing victim participation 6
1.2.2 Limited to direct encounters 8
1.2.3 Restorative justice in prisons 8
1.2.4 Sustaining programmes 9
1.3 Building Bridges 9
1.3.1 Background to Building Bridges 10
1.3.2 The programme 11
1.3.3 The pilot studies 12
1.3.3.1 Facilitation 12
1.3.3.2 Recruiting and preparing participants: (a) victims 13
1.3.3.3 Recruiting and preparing participants: (b) offenders 15
1.3.3.4 The structure of the programme 16
1.3.4 Follow-up work 18
1.4 Positive impacts on victims and offenders: the mechanisms of Building Bridges 18
1.4.1 Offenders 18
1.4.2 Victims 21
1.5 How Building Bridges seeks to overcome some limitations of restorative justice 23
1.5.1 Securing victim participation 23
1.5.2 Beyond the direct victim-offender encounter 24
1.5.3 Restorative justice in prisons 24
1.5.4 Sustaining programmes 24

Chapter 2 Measuring change in victims and offenders following the Building Bridges programme 25
2.1 Hypotheses 25
2.1.1 Victims 25
2.1.2 Offenders 26
2.2 Method 26
2.2.1 Sample 26
2.2.2 Offender recruitment 28
2.2.3 Victim recruitment 28
2.2.4 Study design 29
2.2.5 Procedure 29
2.2.6 Research materials 30
2.2.6.1 Translation 30
2.2.6.2 Victim measures 30
2.2.6.3 Offender measures 32
2.2.7 Analytic strategy 33
2.3 Results 34
2.3.1 Programmes 34
2.3.2 Victims 35
2.3.3 Offenders 37
2.4 Discussion 37
2.4.1 Victim participants 38
2.4.2 Offender participants 40
2.4.3 Limitations 41
2.4.4 Conclusion 42

Chapter 3 Understanding the social ecology of Building Bridges 45
3.1 The social-ecological model of change 45
3.2 Methods 48
3.2.1 Sample 48
3.2.2 Procedure 52
3.2.2.1 Facilitator questionnaire 52
3.2.2.2 Interviews 52
3.2.3 Analytical structure 53
3.2.3.1 Facilitator questionnaire 53
3.2.3.2 Interviews 53

Chapter 4 Learning from the frontline: facilitator perspectives of Building Bridges 57
4.1 Respondent characteristics 57
4.2 Programme characteristics 58
4.3 Guidebook and programme efficacy 58
4.4 Preparation 59
4.5 Offender and victim experience according to the facilitators 60
4.6 Risk assessment 61
4.7 Facilitator satisfaction 62
4.8 Conclusion 63

Chapter 5 Offender and victim experience of participating in Building
Bridges 65
5.1 Offender experience 65
5.2 Victim experience 67

Chapter 6 Case studies of the social ecology of restorative justice in prison 75
6.1 Italy 75
6.1.1 Social-ecological context of restorative justice in prison in February 2014 75
6.1.2 Themes 76
6.1.2.1 Timing 76
6.1.2.2 Inefficient court and penal system 77
6.1.2.3 Prioritisation of serious cases 78
6.1.2.4 Inefficient philosophy of punishment 78
6.1.2.5 Responsibilisation of offenders 79
6.1.2.6 Overcoming the ‘logic of punishment’ 80
6.1.2.7 Prioritisation of victims 81
6.1.2.8 Legislative change 82
6.1.2.9 Victim recruitment 83
6.1.2.10 Perceptions of Prison Fellowship 84
6.2 The Netherlands 85
6.2.1 Social-ecological context of restorative justice in prison in February 2014 85
6.2.2 Themes 86
6.2.2.1 Timing 86
6.2.2.2 Punitive sandwich 87
6.2.2.3 Contradictory prison staff attitudes 88
6.2.2.4 Conservative public attitudes 89
6.2.2.5 Participant sincerity and programme integrity 89
6.2.2.6 Dilution of effectiveness 90
6.2.2.7 Victim recruitment 91
6.2.2.8 Perception of Prison Fellowship 93
6.3 Portugal 96
6.3.1 Social-ecological context of restorative justice in prison in February 2014 96
6.3.2 Themes 96
6.3.2.1 Timing 96
6.3.2.2 Resource limitations 100
6.3.2.3 Victim recruitment 101
6.3.2.4 Victim attrition 102
6.3.2.5 Victim selection 103
6.3.2.6 Future funding 104
6.4 Discussion 104
6.4.1 Observed limitations of the study and the project 105
6.4.2 Superordinate themes 106
6.4.2.1 Marginalised roles for victims reinforce punitive ideals 106
6.4.2.2 Ideological and pragmatic interactions in criminal justice approaches 107
6.4.2.3 Uncertain human and financial resources 108
6.4.2.4 Victim recruitment and Prison Fellowship identity 109
6.5 Conclusion 111

Chapter 7 The future of Building Bridges 113
7.1 Did Building Bridges ‘work’? 113
7.1.1 Offenders 113
7.1.2 Victims 115
7.2 Building Bridges and the development of restorative justice 117
7.2.1 Securing wider victim participation 117
7.2.2 Restorative justice beyond direct victim-offender encounters 118
7.2.3 Restorative justice in prisons 119
7.2.4 Sustaining programmes 120

Chapter 8 Conclusion 123
8.1 The problems of evaluating restorative justice interventions 123
8.2 An evaluative approach for restorative justice 124
8.2.1 Adopting an open definition of evaluation 125
8.2.2 Assessing both effectiveness and effects 125
8.2.3 Understanding mechanisms as well as outcomes 126
8.2.4 Understanding the social ecology of interventions 127

References 129

Appendix 1 – Interview schedule – Victims 139
Appendix 2 – Interview schedule – Offenders 143
Appendix 3 – Interview schedule – Programme leaders 145

Index 147
About the authors 153