Organization and job design for provincial justice offices' successful implementation of restorative justice

The Ministry of Justice of Thailand (MOJ) has seen the potential of restorative justice and intends to implement this concept more effectively. Initial responses indicate that widespread application of restorative justice principles will be appreciated by the public, and will affect impressive financial savings for both the government and the public. The current structure of the MOJ does not support this ambitious program. Research shows that the Provincial Justice Offices (PJOs) need to be restructured and a number of other changes need to be instituted, primarily the thoroughgoing adoption of the matrix organizational model and the redesign of specific jobs. Of principal importance in the latter category are redefinitions of the status, job description, job specification and authority of PJO administrators. Additional specific recommendations for changes in the PJOs' staff sizes and precise definitions of the missions of PJO employees at all levels are presented.