Proactive restorative justice: a set of principles for enhancing public participation

Restorative justice has been considered in the context of sentencing for criminal offences, in workplaces, in schools, and more recently, in an environmental law context. Restorative justice has predominantly been conceptualised as a process or processes to promote the enhanced participation of victims and offenders, and empower and heal victims. However, rather than being viewed solely as a process or processes, there is a set of core principles which are inherent to restorative justice which could be used in a much broader range of situations to prevent wrongdoing or conflict. This article proposes a set of core principles, and explores how these principles could be used throughout the application, assessment, approval and implementation process for major projects in New South Wales to enhance public participation and improve environmental outcomes.