Public management and innovation: the implementation of Restorative Justice in the family court of Francisco Beltrão/Paraná/Brazil

This article is based on the need to promote a debate on the relevance of adopting innovative tools by the judicial system, since research in this field is scarce. Furthermore, it is essential to disseminate the restorative model as an effective instrument for conflict resolution. The objective is to analyze how Restorative Justice is configured as an innovation in the Family Court of Francisco Beltrão – PR - Brazil. Specifically, the aim is to analyze the context of the need for the judiciary to adopt innovative practices; identify the reasons that led to the use of Restorative Justice by the Family and Probate Court and describe the results obtained with the use of the restorative model by the Family and Probate Court from the perspective of judges, judicial technicians, judicial interns and litigants. A descriptive qualitative research was conducted, using the case study method. Three civil servants and two interns from the Family and Succession Court of Francisco Beltrão - PR, and from the municipal CEJUSC were interviewed. As as main results, it was observed that the adoption of Restorative Justice can be seen as a form of incremental innovation in the Brazilian judicial system. This interpretation is due to the fact that Restorative Justice does not completely replace the existing judicial system, but complements it. It offers alternatives that potentially lead to a more satisfactory and effective conflict resolution, through dialogue and consensus between the parties, without causing a significant disruption in the fundamental structure of the judiciary. The contextualization of innovation in general, in the public sector and specifically in the judiciary, was relevant to understanding the environment in which Restorative Justice is being implemented. This helped to understand how it can be seen as an innovative approach in terms of results and social impact. This work highlighted the need for the Family Court of Francisco Beltrão to encourage participation in parenting workshops through an awareness campaign targeted at lawyers, highlighting the benefits of these meetings for resolving family conflicts. The increase in the number of agreements reached through these workshops should also be communicated to the community in general. In addition, promoting alternative methods of conflict resolution among law students could strengthen the implementation of these practices in the long term.