This article was written by Claudia Mazzucato for The International Journal of Restorative Justice 21(2) and translated for our thematic issue. Mazzucato explains that there is something in restorative justice that resembles art. In her view restorative justice is made of the same fabric. Both deal with ‘creativity and rigour, imagination and insight, preparation and improvisation, vocation and inclination, talent and skill’. Both trigger innovation and have a political dimension when identifying problems and look for transformations or cultural change. The use of art in the restorative field is growing and visible in literature, paintings, theatre and films. Art can become a sort of mediator of restorative encounters or can give a concrete shape to stories that otherwise cannot be told. The author asks questions about liaisons between restorative justice, law and art. The leges artis of restorative justice are values and standards as drafted by the United Nations and Council of Europe. Do they nourish criminal justice in terms of beauty? To a certain extent yes. A challenging task of the art of restorative justice is in her view: ‘to approach the complexity of the quest for justice in the real world, combining hard and soft skills harmonically, and complying rigorously with the proper restorative leges artis, in order to amend in democratic ways what has proved wrong and harmful, and to prospectively avoid its reoccurrence’.

In this essay Peter Vermeersch, a social scientist and writer, describes his personal journey to the world of restorative justice. It starts with a group encounter between inmates and victims of non-related crimes in a Belgian prison. As one of the participants in this meeting the author discusses his experience as the victim of a robbery. He also gives an account of his experience as member of a jury trial for a murder case in Brussels, about which he published a book (2019). Vermeersch reflects on his role as juror, illuminates the short-comings of the justice system and its old-fashioned architecture, and most importantly, observes the complex human realities that hide behind the standard images of offenders, victims and other people involved in a crime. In this context, he asks what justice is, thinks about what the role of punishment and retribution can be, and, more broadly, discusses the potential of citizens’ participation and deliberation in issues of public interest. The essay includes several references to film, poetry and other literature that challenges stereotypical images of good and evil. It concludes with a discussion of the wider societal meaning and possible role of restorative justice.

Brunilda Pali described in 2015 the work of the American digital and media artist Sharon Daniel (University of California in Santa Cruz) in a special publication as a result of an interdisciplinary, international arts research collaboration. The new-media documentary Inside the Distance was shown in the StuK Art Center Leuven in that period and included fragments of restorative justice encounters. It was an effort to test the potential for activist art practice to have a direct role in changing social conditions. Brunilda Pali said: ‘In interacting with Sharon Daniel, we had the opportunity to create a focused dialogue, addressing the intersection of artistic and social practices. This project has brought together, research, art, theory, and practice in a very innovative and interesting way.’ The exhibition also investigated whether a new imagining of affect and responsiveness is possible through the use of specific visual, narrative, poetic, and formal frameworks. These reflections reveal the uniqueness of the work of Sharon Daniel and can also be seen as ‘art for social change’ by showing stories of marginalized people who otherwise are not heard.

Brunilda Pali described in 2015 the work of the American digital and media artist Sharon Daniel (University of California in Santa Cruz) in a special publication as a result of an interdisciplinary, international arts research collaboration. The new-media documentary Inside the Distance was shown in the StuK Art Center Leuven in that period and included fragments of restorative justice encounters. It was an effort to test the potential for activist art practice to have a direct role in changing social conditions. To hear about what the project meant for Sharon Daniel, but also about her current work ánd to explore how art can further play a role in changing justice, Ivo Aertsen and Annemieke Wolthuis interviewed Sharon Daniel and Brunilda Pali. More stories were shared to combine art and restorative justice.

Using digital (online) means (for example video calling) to facilitate communication between victims, offenders and mediators during victim-offender mediation (VOM) is not common practice, but has been employed more frequently during the corona pandemic. Do such digital means have added value for restorative justice practices, even when corona measures no longer hinder offline communication? This contribution shares some of the findings from the PhD project of Florian Bonensteffen, that focuses on the potential (dis) advantages of implementing digital communication and technologies in the VOM field in the Netherlands. In a qualitative study based on interviews with victims, offenders and mediators, the perceived applicability and ease of using digital communication forms in the VOM process were examined. Findings indicate that such forms are perceived to promote the emotional well-being of victims and offenders in cases where meeting face-to-face might be too stressful (e.g. due to fear), as well as can provide for a richer exchange than current offline forms of letter exchanges or shuttle mediation. Perceived interpersonal disadvantages of digital communication during VOM were mentioned only in comparison to face-to-face meetings and involved a limited exchange of non-verbal and contextual information about the other party, and less control over the digital dialogue for the mediator. Practical disadvantages centered around privacy and technical stability concerns. The findings suggest that digital forms of communication such as videoconferencing and -messages during VOM have the potential to fill the void between current offline direct (face-to-face) and indirect forms (letter exchange and shuttle mediation) – if such digital means are well-prepared and the privacy of parties is safeguarded.