NCJ Number
198100
Date Published
2002
Length
78 pages
Annotation
This book provides an overview of restorative justice.
Abstract
Restorative justice expands the circle of those with a stake in the criminal justice case beyond just the government and the offender to include victims and community members. Of special concern are the needs of crime victims. Information, truth telling, empowerment, and restitution are the types of needs of crime victims that seem to be especially neglected. The theory and practice of restorative justice have emerged from an effort to take these needs of victims seriously. A second area of concern is offender accountability. In the traditional criminal justice system, offenders are discouraged from acknowledging their responsibility and are given little opportunity to act on their responsibility. Real accountability means encouraging offenders to understand the impact of their behavior and urging them to take steps to put things right. Communities are impacted by crime and should be considered stakeholders as secondary victims. Communities need attention to their concerns as victims, opportunities to build a sense of community and mutual accountability, and encouragement to take on their obligations for the welfare of their members. The three pillars of restorative justice are harms and needs, obligations, and engagement. Restorative justice encourages outcomes that promote responsibility, reparation, and healing for all. The goals are to put key decisions into the hands of those most affected by crime, make justice more healing and more transformative, and reduce the likelihood of future offenses. Achieving these goals requires that victims are involved in the process and come out of it satisfied; offenders understand how their actions have affected other people and take responsibility for those actions; outcomes help to repair the harms done and address the reasons for the offense; and victim and offender both gain a sense of “closure,” and both are reintegrated into the community. The various models of restorative justice include victim offender conferences, family group conferences, circles, diversionary programs, and transitional programs. Appendix, 16 endnotes