Revisiting the Real Story of Restorative Justice in the Criminal Justice System: 20 Years On

The rapid growth of restorative justice (RJ) has brought myths into the literature. K. Daly’s “Restorative Justice: The Real Story” ( Punishment and Society 4(1), 55–79, 2002) is among the most important demythologization attempts in the literature. This article revisits the four myths that were discussed in this seminal article: (1) RJ is an oppositional concept to retributive justice; (2) RJ is rooted in Indigenous justice and the past dominant form of justice; (3) RJ is a care response as opposed to a justice response; and (4) RJ has the potential to transform people. This article first examines whether these four myths remain pervasive in the post-2002 RJ literature. Reviewing the post-2002 literature suggests that demythologization has almost taken place. The article then seeks to highlight theoretical gaps in the post-2002 RJ. Corresponding to the four myths identified, it offers four areas of RJ that warrant further debate and research: (1) institutionalization of RJ, (2) decolonization of RJ, (3) the role of masculinity in RJ, and (4) how RJ works.