Journal of Criminology

This paper is intended as a discussion on one development in the criminal justice system which has some promise in offering an alternative disposition of offenders which could offset many of the complaints about the present system. It briefly traces the history of restitution, its demise and recent formal reappearance on a limited scale as a model for administering justice. Suggestions are made as to how restitution might be used in the Australian setting to deal with some categories of offence.