Effectiveness, efficiency, and impact in restorative justice: Navigating the subjective and objective to evidence success

Fisk, Benjamin M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2389-4521, Hobson, Jonathan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8081-6699 and Twyman-Ghoshal, Anamika ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4076-6687 (2025) Effectiveness, efficiency, and impact in restorative justice: Navigating the subjective and objective to evidence success. The International Journal of Restorative Justice, 8 (2). (In Press)

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Abstract

The international debate around institutionalisation in restorative justice reveals tensions in service evaluation between maximalist definitions advocating for professionalization within criminal justice systems and purist definitions aiming to disrupt traditional justice systems. Evaluations offer important metrics for understanding the success of restorative justice, but academics argue that these metrics misalign with restorative justice values. These were highlighted amongst other concerns from academics, practitioners, and those with lived experience at the UK AllParty Parliamentary Group on Restorative Justice inquiry, which recommended further investigation into service evaluation. Evaluation is crucial for evidencing service success in effectiveness, efficiency, and impact but often aligns with dominant forms of measurement. This research aims to explore the criteria that practitioners use to define success, builds on the inquiry recommendation and adds to academic literature by using thematic analysis of questionnaire survey data from professionals with lived experience to explore their definitions of effectiveness, efficiency, and impact in restorative justice. This paper aims to understand how institutionalisation impacts practitioners' definitions and where lived experience challenges or offers new success metrics. It highlights the multi-faceted nature of success in restorative justice and identifies potential methods for recording, monitoring, and evaluation to support evidencing success.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Professionalisation; Institutionalisation; Transformation; Monitoring; Evaluation
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology. H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology. > HV6001 Criminology H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology. > HV6001 Criminology > HV6250 Victims of Crimes. Victimology
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Ben Fisk
Date Deposited:	06 May 2025 14:02
Last Modified:	06 May 2025 14:15
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/15013

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