Beyond face-to-face

Exploring the restorative potential of shuttle mediation

Bibliographic Data

ID12899950
AuthorsMasahiro Suzuki (0000-0002-7925-2141, Loughborough University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Publication date2025-12-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCriminology & Criminal Justice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1748-8958 • E-ISSN: 1748-8966
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/17488958251400121
OpenAlexW4417220239
LanguageEN
References cited53

Restorative justice is ideally conducted through face-to-face dialogue between victims and offenders, enabling direct engagement in addressing the aftermath of crime. This personal interaction is considered central to achieving the core aims of restorative justice, including accountability, empathy and healing. However, low rates of victim participation, alongside various practical and emotional constraints, often render face-to-face meetings unfeasible or undesirable. In response, shuttle mediation, where a facilitator conveys messages between the parties separately, has been adopted as a widely used alternative in the United Kingdom. This article explores the potential of shuttle mediation as a restorative justice intervention. Drawing on the existing, albeit limited, body of literature, it argues that while shuttle mediation can embody restorative principles, is widely implemented, and reflects the growing interest in restorative justice practices that extend beyond physical co-presence, its full potential remains unclear due to the paucity of empirical research. To bridge this gap, the article proposes avenues for future research aimed at strengthening the restorative nature of shuttle mediation

Bridge (graph theory · Economic Justice · Facilitator · Mediation · Restorative justice · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Law in Society and Culture · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending

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