Special issue on the evolving meaning of restorative justice: a discussion

‘Do we conceive restorative justice as a wide, all-encompassing notion, including the dynamism and liveliness of the activist engagement for more justice at all levels, in all social relations and structures? Or do we keep restorative justice as a clearly delimited concept focused on doing justice after the occurrence of offences? The risk of the first version is that the innovative power of restorative justice sinks down in a broad but also vague movement losing credibility and real impact. The risk of the second version is that it is co-opted as a technique into the current criminal justice system and that it fails to change fundamentally the way justice is done.’ The special issue revolves around these two questions as posed by Lode Walgraves in his 'locomotive text', followed by other texts by eleven authors from different continents and disciplines (M.C. Altman, V.R. Pereira de Andrade & M. de Nardin Budó, J. Braithwaite, T. Chapman, J. Claessen, J.J. Gagambi, D. Garland, T. González & M. Schiff, J. Llewellyn, D. Wong), a 'conversation' (A. Dzur with H. Bowen, K. Bruntix, M. Umbreit) and three thematic book reviews. These other texts represent a response, a reaction, feedback, additional explorations, and contain either reflections that adhere to Walgrave's thesis or questions, criticisms, and even opposing theses. The challenge for the restorative idea in the immediate future lies at a crossroads between the different and sometimes conflicting conceptions presented in this special issue, which in turn is like a new beginning to an ever richer discussion on the 'meaning' of restorative justice.