CHARTING PROGRESS, MAPPING THE FUTURE

This 2006 report by the Institute for Security Studies and the Restorative Justice Centre documents the state of restorative justice (RJ) practice in South Africa. It maps over sixty projects across various sectors—including probation services, correctional services, civil society, and traditional leadership—to evaluate the scope and quality of services provided to victims and offenders. The authors argue that RJ should be viewed as a philosophy and approach rather than a specific programme, and they advocate for its 'mainstreaming' within the criminal justice system through a partnership where civil society leads direct service delivery while the state acts as an enabler, resourcer, and guarantor of quality.

• The authors define restorative justice as a philosophy or approach rather than a specific programme, utilizing a 'continuum' to assess the degree of 'restorativeness' in various processes based on factors such as victim orientation and the involvement of all stakeholders.
• Probation services are currently the most active sector in implementing restorative justice, largely due to a targeted training programme funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy and conducted by the Restorative Justice Centre between August 2004 and March 2006.
• Implementation of restorative justice within the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is limited and often depends on the dedication of specific individuals or NPOs, with some concerns that the practice is too closely associated with Christian chaplains.
• A critical barrier to the sustainability and expansion of restorative justice projects, particularly within civil society, is the lack of sufficient and consistent funding.
• African traditional justice systems are recognized as containing inherent elements of restorative justice, focusing on reconciliation and rebuilding community ties, though there is a lack of formal collaboration and case referrals between these systems and the formal criminal justice system.
• The victim-support sector shows the lowest level of integration and implementation of restorative justice, which the authors identify as a matter of concern given that victims are central to the RJ conceptualization.
• The report identifies a significant gap in the understanding of restorative justice among judicial officials, including magistrates and prosecutors, which hinders the referral of suitable cases to RJ programmes.
• The authors propose a model for the state's role in restorative justice where it acts as an 'enabler' (providing legal frameworks), 'resourcer' (financing services via subcontracts), and 'guarantor of quality practice' (facilitating standards), while keeping the state's role as a direct 'implementer' to a minimum.
• The report recommends the establishment of pilot magistrates' courts where restorative options must be considered for all suitable cases at the district level, including pre-trial diversion and plea and sentence agreements.
• The authors advocate for the development of practice standards based on a 'bottom-up value clarification' process, similar to the model used in New Zealand, to ensure human rights safeguards and prevent unacceptable outcomes.

APA

Skelton, A., & Batley, M. (2006). CHARTING PROGRESS, MAPPING THE FUTURE. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Book2006ChartProgress.pdf

Chicago

Skelton, Ann, and Mike Batley. CHARTING PROGRESS, MAPPING THE FUTURE. Institute for Security Studies, 2006. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Book2006ChartProgress.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Skelton |first1=Ann |last2=Batley |first2=Mike |title=CHARTING PROGRESS, MAPPING THE FUTURE |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2006 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Book2006ChartProgress.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{skelton2006charting, author = {Skelton, Ann and Batley, Mike}, title = {{CHARTING PROGRESS, MAPPING THE FUTURE}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2006}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Book2006ChartProgress.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }