The Restorative Justice
 Resource Center

What is Restorative Justice?

Restorative Justice is a different approach to those involved and affected by crime than the traditional judicial system provides.

• Restorative Justice helps victims, survivors, offenders, and communities to take a pro-active approach to crime and engages all parties involved in the healing process after a crime has been committed.

• Restorative Justice can be utilized in crimes of severe violence or non-violent crimes as well as with juvenile offenders.

• Restorative Justice is an approach to crime which puts the victim or the victim’s family first and fully acknowledges the harm caused by the offender.

• The restorative justice process facilitates the offender in taking full responsibility for their actions by creating a direct or indirect dialogue with the victim, the victim’s family and/or the community.

• A restorative justice approach seeks to support the victim and/or their family in expressing the harm done and fulfilling their needs as a result of the crime.

• Restorative justice is an approach that supports the community in healing from the crime.

• Restorative justice expects the offender to take full responsibility for their actions and assists them in taking steps to find solutions to help heal the harm they have caused.

Unlike the traditional judicial system, restorative justice acknowledges that crime effects the persons directly involved as well as the community – in the traditional justice system, crime is treated as an offense against the state i.e. Joe Smith vs. State of California.

A restorative justice approach has traditionally been used by indigenous communities to maintain a unified community, while holding standards of conduct and addressing harms done to its community members and the community as a whole.

Restorative justice is not a particular program but is an approach to justice. Some common restorative justice programs include:

Restorative School Discipline & Anti-Bullying programs
Truth and Reconciliation Commissions
Peace-making circles
Community justice programs
Family-group conferencing
Sentencing circles
Restorative Community Service
Victim-Offender Conferencing
Victim-Offender Mediation/Dialogue

 

Viewed through a restorative justice lens, "crime is a violation of people and relationships. It creates obligations to make things right. Justice involves the victim, the offender, and the community in a search for solutions which promote repair, reconciliation, and reassurance." Howard Zehr - Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Justice. Scottdale, Pennsylvania; Waterloo, Ontario: Herald Press, 1990. p 181.

 

The Restorative Justice Resource Center

information@restorativejustice.info