This book provides a comprehensive and authoritative account and analysis of restorative justice, one of the most rapidly growing phenomena in the field of criminology and justice studies. In the last decade it has become a central topic in debates about the future of criminal justice. Hundreds of restorative justice schemes are being developed around the world, and they are attracting more and more attention from criminal justice academics, professionals and policy-makers. The subject has reached a stage where a comprehensive, reliable and accessible overview of the international phenomenon of restorative justice is required. This book aims to meet this need, drawing together leading authorities on the subject from around the world in order to: elucidate and discuss the key concepts and principles of restorative justice; explain how the campaign for restorative justice arose and developed into the influential social movement it is today; describe the variety of restorative justice practices, explains how they have developed in various places and contexts, and critically examines their rationales and effects; identify and examines key tensions and issues within the restorative justice movement; and bring a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives to bear upon the understanding and assessment of restorative justice.