Restorative Justice

Crime is a big problem in this world today, and how we treat these criminals that commit these crimes varies among different parts of the world. The traditional prisons today are designed to punish and hold prisoners till they have served their sentence. In Norway, there are prisons that, instead of just letting the prisoner sit and rot, they focus more on rehabilitation. Norway names this concept “restorative justice”. It is believed that instead of punishing these criminals, they must do, as they describe, “aims to repair the harm caused by crime”. The question is, can these methods be used anywhere else? The American correctional system should take some concepts of restorative into consideration because there is proof that restorative justice …show more content…
These different forms have been developed in various countries across the world. A lot of these forms of restorative justice are based around the ideas of mediation and communication with the victims’ families or members of the community that the crime occurred in. One of these forms are known as Group Conferencing; this brings the two together in a conference with a highly trained mediator to discuss the crime (Galasso). This can be very effective because the offender gets to see how their crime effected the family and friends of the crime they committed. This gives the criminal a window to really see what they have caused and brings on feelings of empathy, this also is likewise for the victims to understand why the criminal committed the act in the first place. When placing the victim and offender in a mutual sense of understanding, they can reach a point of compromise and help the recovery process on both sides of the situation. These idea have been implemented in New Zealand as the primary form of justice for their Juvenile justice system …show more content…
It is argued that it might give the results people are hoping for. One of the downsides that is brought up heavily would be the fact that not all victims or family members of the victims would be interested in sitting down for a consultation with the criminal. John Bellgrave wrote an article about everything there is to know about restorative justice. Some may argue that this method is too personal, not everyone wants to sit and chat with the person that has caused the physical, mental, or emotional harm. On an emotional spectrum it can be terrifying to face your offender face to face, some say that they feel like they are more victimized in the end