Restorative justice exists mainly as small experiments in Europe, North America, Australia, Canada, and other countries, and is a systemic juvenile justice model in New Zealand. Restorative justice is also the general framework for both juvenile justice reform and adult correctional reform in several jurisdictions in the United States. The restorative justice option is the most promising pathway toward a more humane and effective way of responding to youth crime, because both the retributive and rehabilitative models are both inadequate. Challenges that now need attention include clarification of the definition and normative theory of restorative justice and the development of restorative justice as a systemic alternative. Research should also focus on the intermediate outcomes of restorative justice practices for victims, communities, and offenders and on the limits of restorative justice. Efforts should also focus on developing strategies for improving the quality and range of restorative justice interventions, and on enhancing the acceptability of restorative justice. Notes and 67 references