Restorative justice

Although punitive approaches to criminal justice are still dominant today, the public acceptance of restorative justice programs is gradually increasing in the United States. Current restorative justice programs have made significant changes in communities all over the country, such as the Longmont Community Justice Partnership in Colorado. The main goal of this organization is to guide victims and offenders into strengthening their relationships while repairing the harm done by the crime. This restorative program has demonstrated to law enforcement administrators and the community in general how effective an approach to justice without punishment can be. The Longmont Community Justice Partnership is a nonprofit organization that uses restorative…

Restorative justice techniques have existed in indigenous communities for many years, even predating retributive justice practices. The focus on community-based justice and the process of healing was essential for the existence of smaller, cohesive societies. This practice is not limited to smaller groups of people. Restorative justice has grown in popularity within the last half of a century, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was on the forefront of the paradigm shift of the way…

Similar to some other jurisdictions across the country, the justice system in Sonoma County has been changing its response to juvenile rule violations through referrals to programs adhering to restorative justice principles. Restorative justice puts victims’ needs at the center of the process, offenders on a path of reintegration by requiring that they be accountable and responsible, while simultaneously incorporating a third pillar of restorative justice--the community, as defined in good part…

Restorative Justice has been proven to have positive effects in a classroom setting, in approaches to conflict resolution as well as in personal growth for people of all ages, however the Provincial Ministry of Education has not effectively incorporated restorative justice to play a lead role in its approach to conflict resolution. Through an exploration of the current justice system used by most schools in the Ontario Public School system, and analysis of examples that show restorative justice…

Restorative justice was once a dominant model of criminal justice worldwide (Braithwaite, 1999). The move away from restorative justice occurred during the Middle Ages when communities shifted from Acephallus (headless societies) to ‘States’, therefore shifting the responsibility for punishment and harm reparation from victims to the state (Gavrielides, 2011). This introduced the idea of retributive justice. Retributive justice refers to the idea that punishment is imposed on the wrong doer…

Restorative justice refers to a term that is concerned with healing the victims ' wounds while restoring the offenders to law-abiding lives. Under the case in the study, it is aimed at repairing a harm that was done by the murderer to restore relationships with the community. It seeks to provide opportunities for the family that was most affected by the crime scene to be directly engaged themselves in the process of responding to the harm caused by the murderer. A central premise concept of…

Restorative justice practices in the school learning environment involve the processes of involving the people who are having a stake in a specific offense to collectively identify and address the needs, harms, as well as organizations for healing and putting things as right as possible. The restorative justice practices promote healing, connection, accountability, and learning. Additionally, restorative justice is a voluntary and relational approach to accountability and conflict. The practices…

weeks have gone by extremely fast and before I knew it this course is almost complete and I am writing my final essay about restorative justice. I cannot begin to explain how much knowledge I have gained from this course. In my final essay I will discuss things I found to be most significant about restorative justice, my memorable lessons and how I can use the tools I have gained from this course in the future. Restorative justice focuses on the harm done to victims and offenders taking…

Restorative justice focuses on rehabilitation of offenders through community involvement. Victims and offenders sit in front of each other and discuss the situation that occurred. While evidence suggests that “restorative justice is far more effective in rehabilitating offenders than incarceration”, it is still a controversial issue, especially in respect to domestic violence cases (Sottile 2015). This is mostly because women are seen as not “safe” when they are in a room with former abusers,…

enemies (Romans 5:8). In order to maintain balance, God knew that tough laws (despite a human’s age) needed to be enacted due to the sinful nature of humankind. The Bible subscribes to a list of offenses with the mandated punishments set forth by God. Restorative Justice seeks to lace mercy with justice, remedy damage, re-establish dignity and re-integrate all who have been estranged and/or wounded; however, on the other side of the coin, does the focus on restorative justice (criminal rights)…