A mixed group of RAN practitioners and experts in the field of restorative justice visited the city of Zagreb to gain insight into Croatia’s restorative justice process and the reasoning behind it. Policymakers, judiciaries and mediators explained their approach, and researchers analysed the Croatian context. This paper presents an overview of the insights gained and lessons learned from this study visit.
Main insight. While Croatia's restorative justice process is embedded in juvenile law and focuses on victims during this process, its scope could be extended to other areas such as hate crime or violent extremism.
Key takeaway points. Even if the preconditions for the (further) application of restorative justice are in place, it still might not be extended, due to social and cultural sensitivities. Restorative practices (i.e. elements of restorative justice) can be just as significant as the official restorative justice process. There is no single definition of restorative justice, and no individual approach that can be implemented in every setting. Read more