Howard Zehr Books

Here, Howard Zehr offers his most complete view of Restorative Justice as an approach to all of life. Zehr made his initial contribution in the area of criminal justice by pointing out that victims are sidelined in the Western justice system. He emphasized, too, that society’s laws for handling crime have often resulted in increased violence, more prisons, and unresolved human cost. In this book he: • Distills his pioneering and influential work in Restorative Justice as a game-changer for the criminal justice system and conflict of all kinds. • Joins his RJ work with what he’s discovered in his additional career as a professional photographer and gatherer of people’s stories. • Demonstrates how RJ practices can extend to all of human interaction—through Respect, Relationships, and Responsibility, along with Humility and Wonder. • Shows how RJ can change our personal lives, as well as our communities. This collection of Zehr’s seminal thinking is approachable, convincing, and inspiring. A powerful guide to sustaining our life together.

In 1996, Howard Zehr, a criminal justice activist and photographer, published Doing Life, a book of photo portraits of individuals serving life sentences without the possibility of parole at a prison in Pennsylvania. Twenty-five years later, Zehr revisited many of the same individuals and photographed them in the same poses. In Still Doing Life, Zehr and co-author Barb Toews present the two photos of each individual side by side, along with interviews conducted at the two different photo sessions, creating a deeply disturbing tableaux of people who literally have not moved for the past quarter-century.In the tradition of other compelling photo books including Milton Rogovin’s Triptychs and Nicholas Nixon’s The Brown Sisters, Still Doing Life offers a riveting longitudinal look at a group of people over an extended period of time—in this case with devastating implications for the American criminal justice system. Each night in the United States, more than 200,000 men and women incarcerated in state and federal prisons will go to sleep facing the reality that they may die without ever returning home. There could be no more compelling argument to stop this inhumane practice than the photos and interviews in this book.

Focusing on crime as a lens into social history, this study examines Germany and France in the nineteenth century. It presents extensive statistical patterns of crime, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of how criminal behavior correlates with economic and social developments of the era. Through this exploration, the book sheds light on the broader societal changes and challenges faced during this transformative period in European history.

Does the criminal justice system actually help victims and offenders? What does justice look like for those who have been harmed? For those who have done harm? Twenty-five years after it was first published, Changing Lenses by Howard Zehr remains the classic text of the restorative justice field. Now with valuable author updates on the changing landscape of restorative justice and a new section of resources for practitioners and teachers, Changing Lenses offers a framework for understanding crime, injury, accountability, and healing from a restorative perspective. Uncovering widespread assumptions about crime, the courts, retributive justice, and the legal process, Changing Lenses offers provocative new paradigms and proven alternatives for public policy and judicial reform. What’s New in the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition: Author updates of terminology, paradigms, and recommended reading Foreword by restorative justice practitioner Sujatha Baliga New resources for teachers, facilitators, and practitioners

"The seminal work on Restorative Justice by one of the founders of the movement, now fully revised and updated. In a time of bitter differences and deep division, how should we as a society respond to wrongdoing? When a crime occurs or an injustice is done, what needs to happen? What does justice require? Howard Zehr is the father of Restorative Justice and is known worldwide for his pioneering work in transforming understandings of justice. Here he proposes workable Principles and Practices for making Restorative Justice possible in this revised and updated edition of his bestselling, seminal book on the movement. Our legal system's approach to justice has some important strengths, but also some deep failings. Victims, offenders, and community members often feel that justice does not adequately meet their needs. Justice professionals--judges, lawyers, prosecutors, probation and parole officers, prison staff--are frustrated with the system's shortcomings, too. Many feel that the process of justice deepens the wounds and conflicts in our society rather than bringing healing and peace. Restorative Justice, with its emphasis on identifying the justice needs of everyone involved in a crime, is a worldwide movement of growing influence that is helping victims and communities heal, while holding criminals accountable for their actions. This is not a soft-on-crime, feel-good philosophy, but rather a concrete effort to bring justice and healing to everyone involved in a crime. In The Little Book of Restorative Justice, Zehr first explores how restorative justice is different from criminal justice. Then, before letting those appealing observations drift out of reach into theoretical space, Zehr presents Restorative Justice Practices. Zehr undertakes a massive and complex subject and puts it in graspable form, without reducing or trivializing it. This is a handbook, a vehicle for moving our society toward healing and wholeness. This is a sourcebook, a starting point for handling brokenness with hard work and hope. This resource is also suitable for academic classes and workshops, for conferences and trainings, as well as for the layperson interested in understanding this innovative and influential movement"-- Provided by publisher