Samenvatting

In this practice oriented contribution an overview is given on the state of affairs of restorative justice related initiatives and developments in various detention settings in the Flemish part of Belgium. An introductory section first provides a contextualisation of restorative detention within the general development of restorative justice in Belgium since the early 1990s. This is followed by a concise, but complete overview of restorative justice practices and programmes in residential centres for juvenile delinquents: both victim-offender mediation programmes and other restorative justice initiatives are presented, as they have become an integral part of trajectories in the treatment of young persons. Then, restorative justice programmes in prisons working with adult offenders are discussed. These relate to restorative justice practices in a strict sense, such as victim-offender mediation, but also concern dialogue groups between victims and offenders and mediation in non-related cases, and the operation of a compensation fund based on dialogue with the victim and voluntary work by the inmate. Other restorative oriented developments in prisons are being dealt with as well, as they are part of rehabilitation programmes offered by social services in the community. Special attention is given to the recent development of small-scale detention and transition houses and their potential to implement restorative approaches, focusing on their close relationship with local communities. The overview of restorative detention in Flanders concludes with some critical reflections on the scope and the hoped-for innovative character of institutional reform.