On May 14th, Dr. Ian Marder participated in a panel, entitled: ‘Restorative justice in criminal matters: Past, present and future”. He spoke to the title: “Restorative justice: From the margins to the mainstream”, drawing attention to the range of international legal instruments on this theme which are currently under development.
The panel was part of the 27th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the annual conference of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Its purpose was threefold: firstly, to highlight the crucial role that restorative justice programmes play in increasing access to justice for those with a stake in the resolution of crime and conflict; secondly, to examine the various developments and initiatives around the world in the use of restorative justice; and finally, to identify innovative practices and common challenges to its implementation
The other panellists included Jody Wilson-Raybould (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada) and Enrique Gil Botero (Minister of Justice and Law of Colombia), both of whom reaffirmed their governments’ commitment to developing restorative justice. This support was further illustrated by their co-sponsoring, with the Government of Mexico, of a draft resolution at this meeting on restorative justice in criminal matters.
The final panellist was Ms. Ilina Taneva (Deputy Head of the Criminal Law Division, Council of Europe). Since January 2017, Dr. Marder and Ms. Taneva have collaborated, alongside the Council of Europe’s Council for Penological Co-operation, on the development of a new Council of Europe Recommendation on restorative justice in criminal matters.
Ian’s reflections on the week can be found here.