Nathan Monk

After decades of cycles of violence between Hutu and Tutsi in Rwanda, 1994 witnessed genocide more effective than Hitler’s gas chambers (Carlsson, 2005) costing the lives of estimates between 500,000 (Desforges, 1999) to one million people (Gourevitch, 1998). The way communities and families killed neighbours and relatives has been documented by many. In light of the localised nature of this conflict, this contribution suggests that the community should be involved in the delivery of justice as part of an effort to repair the social bonds that were damaged. This article will focus on women’s relationship to transitional justice in the aftermath of the conflict. The role of communitybased organisations and the support they provided to widows of the conflict will be considered. Widows have been selected as the focal point as they represent a distinctive group: they must contend with gender-specific challenges in the wake of their loss and adapt to become responsible for tasks which they previously depended on male relatives to complete. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and Gacaca, the formal judicial and quasi judicial models developed to aid all concerned with the means to face what had happened in order to live together peacefully, have been subject to much criticism; these will be discussed. The article will draw on empirical research exploring  community-based projects that were supported by a women’s charity, established to support widows and orphans in the aftermath of the genocide. Their efforts will be presented as an efficient and effective strategy of transitional justice, due to its location in the community.

Computer and technological developments provide exciting opportunities forboth classroom and distance learning teaching, but many educators feel they do not have the skills or support necessary to make the most of them. In this piece I describe and reflect upon my own experiences of learning about and using ICT tools to design and use avatars in computerised scenarios in my higher education teaching of Criminology and Criminal Justice. I consider their potential for future academic teaching, including the possibilities for improving learning opportunities for diverse learners. Further developments could enable students to become authors and partners in lifelong learning processes, though this would necessitate a rethinking of the pedagogies that inform much teaching.

The recent acquittal of Dutch MP Geert Wilder on a charge of inciting racial hatred, banning of veils in France, and the burning of the Koran in the US, are part of a sequence of criminalisation of Muslims. Iconographic figures of Muslims were demonised, beginning with the publicising of libellous cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, initially inDenmark and then much of Europe, depicting him as a terrorist. There are international conventions that prohibit the discrimination of communities based on their religious beliefs. In the UK, the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 has extended the ambit of the Public Order Act 1986 to cover religious harassment. However, the failed prosecutions under the statute show that it does not extend to vilification of the belief and only addresses the people who practice the creed. The findings of researchers in the UK and US show that the fundamental rights in granting freedom of expression vary according to the constitutions but their expression needs to be balanced with the effect on the rights of a
minority. This paper presents an argument that the commission of hate crimes should include a grossly offensive insult to a religious faith for the improved protection of minorities from racist attack, even if the intention of the perpetrator is to invite contemporary discussion.

This study explores the subjective views of young offenders who have participated on Youth Offender Panels in one Youth Offending Team based in the North East of England. Youth Offender Panels are a core element of Referral Orders and act as a forum for discussion, dialogue and negotiation between the parties involved in and affected by a given crime. Allowing young offenders to speak has proved to be a powerful method of depicting their views on Youth Offender Panels, illustrating the potential of involving young offenders not only in the consultation about, but in the process of, effecting change.

Several themes emerged from the study relating to some of the practical aspects of delivering Youth Offender Panels, young offenders’ inter-action with panel members and the effectiveness of this approach in changing their behaviour. Based on the findings the author proposes that there should be a stronger emphasis placed on involving young offenders in the delivery of Youth Offender Panels with a view to improving their outcomes..

A renewal of interest is currently underway in the instrumental efficacy of religion to reduce recidivism to which the relatively new phenomenon of community chaplaincy that supports prisoners on release from custody is expected to contribute. After reviewing some evidence on the relationship between religion and recidivism that deserves critical respect, it is argued that the distinctive contribution of community chaplaincy to criminal justice re-formation should have two main features. The first is to provide supportive relationships within a pro-social context to people leaving prison, and the second is to draw attention to the unpropitious economic environment into which they will be released. Both features define the moral rather than instrumental obligation of community chaplaincy to ex-prisoners beyond the gate within the proposed payment by results culture.

This article describes and discusses the implementation and impact of a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) programme for Probation Service Officers (PSOs). This was a work-based programme integrating assessment of practice with assessment of learning about the concepts and ideas that underpin the practice of this group of staff. It used a variety of teaching and learning methods, including group tutorials, distance learning materials, and practice workshops run by the Consortium. This evaluation draws on information and evidence gathered from a range of sources, including managers, tutors, trainers and PSOs. This CertHE programme has now been superseded by the new qualifications framework introduced into the probation service in April 2010. The article seeks to identify learning from the CertHE which can inform and improve the development of new training arrangements. It identifies the importance of factors such as good communication between the university and the probation service, as well as adequate protected learning time for PSOs and the provision of skilled and supported practice tutors. The article also explores the extent to which the CertHE has been a useful, effective and stimulating programme of study for the PSOs who undertook it.