NCJ Number
181244
Date Published
September 1999
Length
105 pages
Annotation
This document explains the seven basic ingredients of restorative justice to help police agencies that are interested in starting a new restorative justice program to understand the issues that need attention before a program can start operation.
Abstract
The introduction notes that restorative justice is a new approach without a standard blueprint and that each program will be unique and will evolve over time. In addition, gaining acceptance of restorative justice in a retributive climate is likely to be thwarted unless the values and principles are understood and properly applied. In addition, a poorly planned program may merely modify or replicate the traditional criminal justice system; obstacles will exist simply because restorative justice is so different from the traditional system. The toolbox is intended to help people avoid the pitfalls and avail themselves of the opportunities in establishing a restorative justice program. Individual sections outline the seven basic ingredients needed to design and implement restorative justice. These ingredients are (1) the values of restorative justice, (2) addressing victims' needs, (3) holding offenders to account, (4) building community capacity, (5) developing a program, (6) benchmarks for evaluation, and (7) unresolved issues. The sections do not specifically distinguished between three models: victim-offender mediation, family group conferencing, and circles. Checklists, figures, and reference notes