Publication details
Public Opinion on Restorative Justice in the Czech Republic
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Citation | |
| Description | The restorative model is considered to be an alternative to the standard criminal proceeding by promoting a different set of values and principles. However, the usual retort to any form of restorative justice is based on the notion of a lack of interest from the public. Furthermore, it is assumed that any willingness to participate would be tainted by an overly punitive approach seeking revenge and severe punishment instead of restoration and healing as restorative justice proposes. Such statements are certainly nothing new for restorative movement but because each community and its interpretation of restorative justice greatly differs from each other more precise research is required to properly verify contemporary sentiments. We (the authors) hoped to expand upon this regarding our home country, the Czech Republic, and for this reason, we designed a research whose sample was the public of the Czech Republic and its opinion on the restorative movement. Our goal was to firstly verify the factuality of mentioned assumptions and subsequently explore factors that either positively, or negatively influence Czechs in their views on restorative justice. In other words, based on the data collected, we created a typology of crimes and associated factors for which there is the broadest support for the use of restoration and for which there is not. This presentation aims to share findings regarding one of the main features of restorative justice – voluntariness; it is crucial for anyone creating the agenda of criminal justice to reflect on the public opinion about restorative justice in these matters. It is meaningless to promote use of restorative justice where the general public does not see the benefits of such approach and are positioned against usage of restorative practices. The goal is to open new avenues for academic discourse exploring the possible variety of interpretations of restorative justice in the Czech Republic which in turn could lead to new discussion domestically and abroad. To summarize, this research presents the general public opinion of the Czech Republic towards restorative practice. It aims to provide an answer to whether the concerns expressed among legal professionals hold true or if they are only unfounded perceptions. To build upon these findings, we also design a categorisation of criminal cases that are in the view of the Czech people most appropriate for a restorative approach, why it is so and if it is reflected in Czech criminal law. |
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