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What is Restorative Justice? |
| At its base, restorative justice is about
relationships: between the victim, the offender, and the larger
community to which both of them belong. Prison
Fellowship Ministries, a global advocate and leader in developing and
implementing programs both in the United States and around the world,
defines restorative justice as “a process whereby parties with a stake
in a specific offence resolve collectively how to deal with the
aftermath of the offence and its implications for the future.”
In doing so, restorative justice works on these
principles:
 | Focus on the harm done by the
crime—the focus is on repairing the harm done to the victim and
preventing crime |
| Requires offenders to take
responsibility for their actions and the results to the crime |
| Seeks redress for victims,
recompense by offenders, and reintegration of both into the
community |
| Achieved through cooperation by
the community and the government |
(Source:
www.restorativejustice.org)
Benefits of Restorative Justice:
| Its view of the offense is
comprehensive; it is not simply a violation of a law set by the
government but a violation of the victim, their community, and even
themselves |
| It involves more parties than
just the government and the offender—the victim and the community
are also given the opportunity to participate |
| Success is measured
differently—instead of focusing on retribution, restorative justice
focuses on repairing relationships and preventing broken ones |
(Source:
www.restorativejustice.org)
Programs that might promote restorative justice:
| Victim/Offender mediation |
| Family or Community Group
Conferencing |
| Victim-Offender panels |
| Peacemaking or Sentencing
Circles |
| Restitution |
| Community Service |
| Prisoner assistance programs |
| Reintegration programs for
offenders who have served jail time |
| Crime prevention programs |
continued: Restorative Justice offers healing to
victims, offenders, and the community at large |
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