Opening the "Black Box": A Naturalistic Case Study of Restorative Justice

ABSTRACT OPENING THE "BLACK BOX": A NATURALISTIC CASE STUDY OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE To develop an in-depth understanding of restorative justice process, this study examined multiple perspectives of the participants' experiences of a Victim Offender Mediation (VOM) program operating in a Midwestern city. The primary data source was 34 face-to-face interviews conducted with 37 participants including adult crime victims, juvenile offenders and their parents, and service providers involving mediators and referral sources. Findings highlight that VOM helped participants put a face on crimes, which led them to acquire the unseen impact of the crimes. In general, the participants, including the victims, overwhelmingly indicated having had positive experiences. However, findings also indicated some insensitive approaches toward the victims, which reflect the offender-focused mind-set of the practitioners. This study brings forth the detailed and rich stories from an insider's perspective on restorative justice, helping us to take a closer look at what is aptly referred to as the "black box" of restorative justice

Toward a Culturally Competent Restorative Justice Practice Framework: A Focus on Asian Americans

This is the publisher's version, also found here: http://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3917This article suggests a culturally competent restorative justice practice framework for Asian Americans. In developing the framework, the historical development and contemporary issues of restorative justice in the West are explored, and the salient cultural traits and core elements of cultural competence with Asians and Asian Americans are examined. Tentative principles are advanced and recommendations are made for developing a culturally competent restorative justice practice framework for this cultural group, who now constitute 4.4% of the American populace, and for whom harmony in interpersonal relationships and the power of shaming are key considerations

Agency Theory Approach For The Performance Of Returnee Entrepreneurs

A returnee entrepreneur playing an important role in China market is a notable phenomenon. While their advanced knowledge and overseas networking in developed countries have advantages over local counterparts, their lack of local knowledge and connection may mitigate their advantages. This study explores the research questions how and why external management control of returnee entrepreneur is inferior to local counterpart. Based on the data collected in year 2002 from Chinese technology venture companies in Zhongguancun Science Park (ZSP), we find that the performance of returnee entrepreneur’s firms is lower when they have more local subsidiaries and when they are owned by foreigners. It implies that returnee entrepreneurs may be less effective in management control over local subsidiaries which may indicate a low level of headquarters control. It also implies that foreign ownership gives rise to increase in agency conflicts between returnee entrepreneurs and foreign investors and thus has a negative impact on firms’ innovation performance. &nbsp

Hull-form optimization of a 66,000 dwt bulk carrier in irregular wave condition

This paper deploys optimization techniques to obtain the optimum hull form of a 66,000 DWT bulk carrier in calm water and in irregular head waves at sea state 6. Parametric modification functions for the bow hull-form variation are SAC shape, section shape (U-V type, DLWL type). Multi-objective functions are applied to minimize the values of wave-making resistance in calm water and mean added resistance in waves. WAVIS version 1.3 is used to obtain wave-making resistance in calm water condition. The modified Fujii and Takahashi's formula is applied to obtain the added resistance in short waves. The added resistance in long wave is obtained from the potential-flow solver based on the 3-D panel method. And the mean added resistance in irregular head waves is obtained by linear superposition of the wave spectrum and the response function. The PSO (Particle swarm optimization) algorithm is employed for the optimization technique. The resistance and motion characteristics in calm water, in regular head waves and in irregular head waves of the two hull forms are compared. It has been shown that the optimal brings 6.8% reduction in the mean added resistance at sea state 6