A world leader in both experimental and theoretical research within the realm of restorative justice, the CRJ has cultivated an extensive range of expertise, notably in the following areas:

• Crime and justice
• Sexual harm
• Non-state conflict resolution and peacebuilding
• Restorative regulation
• Environmental restorative justice
• More-than-human (multispecies) justice
• Restorative cities

Our mission is to teach restorative justice to a broad range of students and to conduct and synthesise primary field studies across Australia, the Pacific region, and globally. We are committed to translating our research into knowledge and understanding that can be used in evidence-based policies worldwide. Our ongoing collaboration with the global community of restorative practitioners, through our projects and working groups, enables us to exchange ideas, facilitate continuous learning in the field of restorative justice, and innovate new approaches.

Our Centre serves as a catalyst for change, encouraging respectful dialogue and self-organised collaborations amongst diverse voices and perspectives. Our interdisciplinary approach actively addresses pressing societal challenges, such as conflict within communities from campus to city, criminal justice reform, and environmental recovery. We believe that through empowering individuals and communities to embrace restorative practices, we can create a world where healing, empathy, and justice flourish, one transformative interaction at a time.

The CRJ is led by 2 co-Directors – Professor Miranda Forsyth and Professor Meredith Rossner. Each brings to this role a wealth of restorative justice scholarship and practice: Miranda is an interdisciplinary socio-legal scholar with expertise in law, anthropology, criminology, and complexity theory, and Meredith is Professor of Criminology at the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, with expertise in the emotions, rituals, and architectures of justice and justice spaces.  Each view restorative justice as a profoundly respectful and inclusive practice that offers a transformative vision of justice. Miranda’s and Meredith’s mentorship has empowered many individuals in their network, including staff, students, and collaborators, to pursue their unique interests in restorative justice. This has helped broaden the CRJ’s influence across diverse realms of the field.

Connections and collaborations

The CRJ works closely with the Canberra Restorative Community, which is convened by Holly Northam.

The CRJ works closely with the European Forum for Restorative Justice, especially in the area of environmental restorative justice. The CRJ is also working with the Basque Institute of Criminology on a project concerning environmental restorative justice, especially relating to more-than-human wellbeing and restorative justice.

Outreach

Emeritus Professor John Braithwaite, a distinguished member of the CRJ, maintains a blog on restorative justice, War, crime and regulation.

The CRJ’s co-Director, Professor Miranda Forsyth, maintains a blog Stop Sorcery Violence in PNG, which takes a constructive approach to highlighting the women and men who are taking a stand against sorcery and witchcraft accusations, providing assistance to victims and survivors, and advocating for positive change.