Restorative justice at different levels of the criminal justice system in China: challenges and paths forward

Restorative justice (RJ) has developed and grown rapidly in the past few decades. It is considered a significant element in mainstream criminological practices, specifically for understanding and handling crimes with the aim of holding offenders accountable for their actions, restoring human dignity, compensating material losses, and reconciling relationships. Currently, RJ is not used only in Australasia, North America, and Europe, but also in the criminal justice (CJ) systems of Asian countries such as China. This paper examines how RJ is applied at different levels of the CJ system, including prosecution, court hearings, sentencing, and reintegration, in the People's Republic of China (mainland China). It also highlights examples of RJ practices and discusses concerns, current challenges and paths forward.