Restorative Justice: an interdisciplinary research and application of theories on psychology and social neuroscience in the criminal justice process
Project title
Restorative Justice: an interdisciplinary research and application of theories on psychology and social neuroscience in the criminal justice process
Principal Investigator
Department
Grant Awarding Body
Research Grants Council
Grant Type
Inter-Institutional Development Scheme (IIDS)
Project Code
UGC/IIDS15/H04/21
Amount awarded
HK$510,832
Funding Year
2021-2022
Duration of the Project
12 months
Status
Completed
Abstract
Restorative Justice (RJ) has been used in many parts of the world as one of the ways to offer alternative form of justice to both the offender and the victim. RJ puts a focus on those who are affected by an unjust act, and how this harm could be repaired by the person who has committed the acts. This is proved to be an effective way to support the offending party, especially young persons, to reintegrate into the community. RJ has also been supported by research studies as one of the effective approaches to juvenile criminal behaviour. With the recent resurge on youth crime rate in Hong Kong, the notion of RJ should be re-visited since resorting to penal justice is not an option to restore the harm done to the community. The introduction of RJ through the public semester, best joined by those who are currently involved in resolving cases relevant to youngsters in Hong Kong, will effectively attract the public. The theory and practice of RJ involved dimensions of studies in a multi-disciplinary way, including law, psychology and neuroscience. One major RJ theory is on “Reintegrative Shaming”, which encompasses aspects on emotional changes and cognition that are studied in psychology and neuroscience. It is the aim of this project to arouse social awareness of the use of RJ as a powerful tool in the criminal justice process, embedded with multi-disciplinary knowledge transfer in law, psychology and neuroscience.