Is There Restorative Justice for Children in Turkey? A Case Study from the Perspective of Justice Professionals

This study investigates the implementation of restorative justice for children in conflict with the law in Turkey. Although restorative justice has been introduced as a rights-based alternative to punitive approaches, its transformative potential in the Turkish child protection system remains limited.

The research adopts a qualitative design and will be conducted in Istanbul, where diverse institutions operate in the field of juvenile justice. Using purposive sampling, participants will be selected from four key domains of the justice system: courts, probation services, prisons, and child protection institutions. The sample will include professionals from multiple disciplines, such as psychologists, social workers, sociologists, child development specialists, lawyers, judges, and prosecutors. In-depth interviews will serve as the primary data collection method, allowing for an in-depth exploration of practitioners’ experiences. A minimum of sixteen interviews is planned, with the possibility of expansion until data saturation is reached. Thematic analysis, supported by MAXQDA, will be applied to the interview data. Within-case thematic analysis will first identify how restorative justice functions in each field, followed by cross-case analysis to reveal similarities and differences across domains.

In addition, relevant legislation on child protection and juvenile justice will be examined deductively to map existing restorative justice mechanisms for children and assess their conceptual alignment with practice.

The study is expected to: (1) describe how restorative justice mechanisms are framed in legal texts, (2) explore justice professionals’ perceptions within an interpretive paradigm, (3) analyse convergences and divergences between institutional approaches, and (4) critically evaluate the consistency between law and practice.

By integrating research findings with critical theory, the research aims to generate recommendations for strengthening restorative justice within the Turkish juvenile justice system, ultimately contributing to a more child-centred and rights-based framework.