Reintegrative Ritual: Restorative Justice and Micro-Sociology

Although the body of empirical research is still growing, we still do not know who the process will work for, or when. To examine this, we need to develop theory that breaks into the 'black box' of a conference. Traditional theorists tend to focus on the importance of reintegrative shaming and procedural justice as the key ingredient to a successful conference, but there has been no in-depth analysis of the dynamics of specific conferences, or of the role that shame and other emotions actually play in restorative justice, nor have there been suggestions to increase both its short- and long-term efficacy. I argue that restorative justice theory can be strengthened and the practice improved by examining conferences as an interaction ritual (Collins 2004 ). Furthermore, practitioners can learn from interaction ritual theory, improving their practice and encouraging long-term offender integration. Research in restorative justice has shown the potential for a positive impact on both victims and offenders. However, research has become stagnant in the field, with little more than comparisons of court versus conferencing currently being conducted. Braithwaite (2002) suggests that we need to go beyond these measures and develop a theory of restorative justice that can be used to improve and expand the practice. Here, I suggest this is possible by using interaction ritual theory to explore the micro-dynamics of a conference.