The inextricability of research and practice. Research on the penal mediation services of the Basque Country (2007-2009) : some reflections to foster debate on general findings and mysteries

Abstract

The paper I present here is a re-elaboration of an unpublished communication presented within the 2009 Summer Course Towards Critical Restorative Justice Practices organised by the Centro de Estudios Jurídicos y Formación Especilizada of the Catalonian Justice Department together with the European Forum for Restorative Justice. I must thank the Generalitat and the European Forum for Restorative Justice for their kind invitation to debate these matters with distinguished colleagues 2 . I must also thank the generous audience who was listening and discussing with us later. I intended to be polemic, to foster debate, as well as brief and clear, although English is not my own language so I have to apologize for its unintended “ill-treatment”. My aim now is to preserve the original text and to pay a tribute to the well known international character of Professor Beristain.