Restorative justice: A new paradigm?

This paper examines the merits or otherwise of restorative justice within criminal justice systems. The overpopulation of prisons remains a major global issue along with increasing rates of recidivism. In stark contrast to the punitive aims of traditional retributive justice systems that enforce a regime of punishment for offenders, the restorative justice approach promotes the repair of harm caused by an offence. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of restorative justice in addition to examining potential barriers to its widespread application.**I am indebted to Michael King for his valuable suggestions in the preparation of this paper

Symptom burden and unmet needs in MPM:exploratory analyses from the RESPECT-Meso study

© The Author(s) 2020. Objective: Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) has a poor prognosis and high symptom burden. RESPECT-Meso was a multicenter randomized study examining the role of early specialist palliative care (SPC) on quality of life (QoL) with MPM. This is a post-hoc exploratory analysis of the symptom burden and unmet needs identified from RESPECT-Meso participants. Methods: Exploratory analysis from 174 participants using the General Health Status (GHS) measure (from the EORTC QLQ-C30 QoL questionnaire) and 87 participants using validated assessment questionnaires in those randomized to SPC. Eligibility for the study included confirmed MPM with diagnosis \u3c 6 weeks prior, performance score (PS) 0 or 1, no significant physical or psychological comorbidity. Cox proportional hazards models were derived to examine for relationships with survival. Free text was assessed using content analysis, looking for common themes and words. Results: Participants were predominantly male (79.9%), mean age 72.8 years, PS was 0 in 38%, 78% of MPM was epithelioid. At least 3 symptoms were reported in 69.8% of participants, including fatigue (81%), dyspnea (73.3%), pain (61.2%), weight loss (59.3%). Anxiety was reported by 54.7% of participants, 52.3% low mood and 48.8% anhedonia symptoms. After multivariable adjustment, only pain remained statistically significant with a hazard ratio (HR) 2.9 (95% CI 1.3-6.7; p = 0.01). For each 1 unit increase in GHS score, the HR for death was 0.987 (0.978-0.996; p = 0.006), indicating a worse reported QoL is related to shorter survival. Unmet needs were common: 25.9% wanted more information about their condition, 24.7% about their care and 21.2% about their treatment. 79.1% were concerned about the effect of their illness on family. Conclusion: There is a high symptom burden in mesothelioma despite good baseline performance status. A worse QoL is associated with a worse survival. Unmet needs are common, perhaps highlighting a need for improved communication and information sharing

The use of a rights-based approach to address juvenile violence in Australian schools: from policy to practice

While school violence is an issue that is of a longstanding historical nature, increased levels of lethality evident in episodic school violence in contemporary society has generated collective concern. Australia is hardly immune from this escalation although fatalities have been fortuitously infrequent, unlike in several overseas locations. This thesis will address the issue of juvenile violence in school settings from an Australian viewpoint which is grounded in restorative justice practises that advance juvenile human rights

Punitive criminal justice in contemporary society.

This paper examines the influence of so-called popular punitivism on contemporary society. Concerted efforts by policy makers have, in recent times, promoted the use of punitive criminal justice methods and rhetoric to maintain a castigatory sentiment amongst the public. This has lead to the acceptance that crime and anti social behaviour are more effectively controlled by harsh and authoritarian measures. Central to this rise in punitive sentiment is the use of media and other agencies to legitimize and encourage a sensationalized fear of crime which owes more to imagery and emotive elements than criminological research

Australian schools and violent juveniles: safe haven or breeding grounds?

Contemporary focus on juvenile crime and violence within school environments is unsurprising as schools provide an arena in which juvenile violence is both perpetrated and controlled. A precise definition of school violence is not without difficulty however given the many and varied examples of violence in school based settings. Australia schools are in the main safe places compared with many overseas locations notwithstanding several well publicised school fatalities that have occurred recently. A thorough understanding of the true extent of school violence is problematic however as structural obstacles in available violent crime figures and statistics relevant to schools have impeded meaningful analysis of the scope of the problem within Australian. This paper will explore both the nature of school violence and its prevalence within the Australian jurisdiction

Restorative justice: a new paradigm?

This article examines the merits of restorative justice within criminal justice system. The overpopulation of prisons remains a major global issue along with increasing rates of recidivism. In stark contrast to the punitive aims of traditional retributive justice systems that enforce a regime of punishment for offenders, the restorative justice approach promotes the repair of harm caused by an offence. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of restorative justice in addition to examining potential barriers to its widespread application