The ''community'' in community justice: Issues, themes, and questions for the new neighborhood sanctioning models

In the past few years, interest in ''restorative justice,'' ''community justice,'' and other alternatives to adversarial/retributive paradigms have captured the imagination of a number of criminal justice professionals and community members. But while much attention has been devoted to programs associated with these movements, such as restitution and community service, community policing, community courts, and community corrections, citizen involvement as decision makers in the sanctioning process remains unexplored. This article compares four neighborhood decision-making models now being used with some frequency in the U.S. and Canada. In doing so, I examine several questions about how each model defines the role of the community in the sanctioning process and consider the influence of three theoretical themes in establishing priorities and focal concerns of each model.