Compulsory Compassion

Often touted as the humane and politically progressive alternativeto the rigid philosophy of retributive punishment that underpins manyof the world's judicial systems, restorative justice aspires to atheoretical and practical reconciliation of the values of love andcompassion with justice and accoun [...]
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Often touted as the humane and politically progressive alternativeto the rigid philosophy of retributive punishment that underpins manyof the world's judicial systems, restorative justice aspires to atheoretical and practical reconciliation of the values of love andcompassion with justice and accountability. Emotionally seductive, therhetoric of restorative justice appeals to a desire for a "rightrelation" amongst individuals and communities, and offers us avision of justice that allows for the mutual healing of victim andvictimizer, and with it, a sense of communal repair.In Compulsory Compassion, Annalise Acorn, a one-timeadvocate for restorative justice, deconstructs the rhetoric of therestorative movement. Drawing from diverse legal, literary,philosophical, and autobiographical sources, she questions thefundamental assumptions behind that rhetoric: that we can trustwrongdoers' capacity for meaningful accountability and respectfulcommunity, and that we can, in good conscience, deploy the idea thathealing lies in (re)encounter to seduce victims to participate inrestorative processes.Essential reading for anyone with an interest in restorativejustice, Compulsory Compassion should also be read by scholarsand students of criminal justice and legal theory.