Restorative Justice: A Case Study

Upon learning of the hurt people hurt people idea I started to apply it to the labeling theory. Martin Wright (2002) talks about how we need to think about the meaning of reparation and how it means repairing the damage. He talks about how it is important not to try and punish the offender out of anger and vengeance. It is important to remember that if the reparation received is punitive and embarrassing or boring for the offender, it will not mean anything to them and they will be unlikely to start to respect other people. If the offender values the work in some way then the work is more likely to build the offender’s self-respect and enable him or her to earn the respect of other people (Wright, 2002).
Sometimes, if not most of the time, an apology is offered by the offender. They apologize to their victim either directly about what they did to them or vaguely about the fact that they were harmed, since admitting guilt is not a required part of the victim offender …show more content…
Zehr really dissected the whole idea of restorative justice and showed how effective and advantageous it can truly be. Restorative justice is a much more effective way, in some cases, to deal with offenses. It provides closure for the victims and eases up the pain on the offenders. The restorative justice approach is better from the victim’s point of view because instead of just watching their offender be punished by the court system, they get to confront them themselves and almost put to rest the harm that was done to them. It is better for the offenders because sometimes an act is random rather than pre-meditated and they may feel the need to apologize to their victim and they may also feel a great deal of regret for what happened. It can really aid them in relieving some of that regret which to some people is a huge