Police reform, restorative justice and restorative policing

When it has not been focused on addressing corruption and allegations of bias, harassment, and brutality, much police reform since the 1960s can be characterized as a slow movement away from the professional model of policing (Kelling and Moore, 1988). Specifically, much of this reform can be seen as an attempt to escape the rigidity associated with the paramilitary organizational structures, and to overcome the limits these bureaucratic structures have imposed on flexible, effective, long-term solutions to crime. A significant focus has also been an effort to promote greater citizen participation and community partnerships in crime resolution and prevention. In essence, a new relationship between police departments and the communities they serve (Skolnick and Bayley, 1986; Bayley, 1994). Such reform has moved along two separate but related problem-oriented and community-oriented policing tracks.