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The principles of restorative justice define crime as an injury and recognize the need for actions to repair that injury, plus a commitment to involve all those affected in the response to crime.
Notice three big ideas: (1) repair: crime causes harm and justice requires repairing that harm; (2) encounter: the best way to determine how to do that is to have the parties decide together; and (3) transformation: this can cause fundamental changes in people, relationships and communities.
Guidance: The six principles of restorative practice set out the core values of the field of restorative practice. They cover the following areas: restoration, voluntarism, neutrality, safety, accessibility and respect.
Restorative practices are underpinned by a set of values, these include: Empowerment, Honesty, Respect, Engagement, Voluntarism, Healing, Restoration, Personal Accountability, Inclusiveness, Collaboration, and Problem-solving.
Encourage collaboration and reintegration rather than coercion and isolation; Give attention to the unintended consequences of our actions and programs; Show respect to all parties, including victims, offenders and justice colleagues.
Restorative justice in the criminal justice system uses victim and offender dialogue to address the harm caused by a crime as well as victims’ experiences, interests and needs1.
Restorative justice refers to a process for resolving crime by focusing on redressing the harm done to the victims, holding offenders accountable for their actions and, often also, engaging the community in the resolu- tion of that conflict.
Unlike the traditional criminal justice system, VOMP’s involve active involvement by the victim and the offender, giving them the opportunity to mutually rectify the harm done to the victim in a process that promotes dialogue between them.
The most popular of the restorative strategies are victim-offender conferencing and community restitution. In many states, representatives of the victims’ rights movement have been instrumental in setting up programs in which victims/survivors confront their violators.
Restorative justice in the criminal justice system is a way of responding to offending and the effects of crime that makes the people affected by the crime the focus of the process. … International research shows that restorative justice significantly reduces imprisonment, reconviction and reoffending.
It provides both victims and offenders with more satisfaction that justice had been done than did traditional criminal justice, It reduces crime victims’ post-traumatic stress symptoms and the related costs, and. It reduces crime victims’ desire for violent revenge against their offenders.
Some of the most common programs typically associated with restorative justice are mediation and conflict-resolution programs, family group conferences, victim-impact panels, victim–offender mediation, circle sentencing, and community reparative boards.
The definition of restorative justice cited in the Key Terms of this Module, includes a range of key values, such as ‘voluntary’ participation, ‘truthful’ speaking, the creation of a ‘safe and respectful’ environment, a positive commitment to ‘repair’ and a concern to ‘clarify accountability for harms’.
Restorative practice in communities resolves conflicts and disputes before they escalate into crime and is an effective approach to dealing with antisocial behaviour and neighbour disputes. It enables people to understand the impact of their behaviour on others.
impact, consequences, and reparation. The principles of restorative justice define crime as an injury and recognize the need for actions to repair that injury, plus a commitment to involve all those affected in the response to crime.
The major difference is that TCJ is primarily concerned with retribution against the offender, whereas RJ focuses on the needs of the victim, offender and the community and their interrelationships; the obligations of the offender and the community vis a vis the victim; and on engaging all of the parties involved.
Restorative justice focuses on repairing the harm caused by crime, while holding offenders responsible for their actions. A restorative approach is being used in different criminal justice cases across Canada.
Prisoners get a chance to do something positive for those they’ve harmed. Restorative justice is also used in many jurisdictions before incarceration. This allows offenders to avoid jail time for low-level crimes by meeting with their victims to discuss the incident and how they can make things right.
Restorative justice emphasizes an equal concern for crime victims and offenders, while deemphasizing the importance of coercion. It also seeks to focus on the harm done to persons and relationships rather than on the violation of a law.
The restorative justice movement in North America originated from four main sources: aboriginal justice/teachings, faith communities, the prison abolition movement, and the alternative dispute resolution movement. These origins provide an insight into the rationale behind the restorative justice movement.
Traditional Criminal Justice | Restorative Justice | |
---|---|---|
Recidivism % | 27 | 18 |
Victim Satisfaction % | 57 | 79 |
Victim Fear of Re-victimization % | 23 | 10 |
Offender Satisfaction % | 78 | 87 |
Restorative justice allows the victim to feel involved and heard outside of the usual clinical processes we often see in the criminal justice system. The victim is at the centre of the process and gets the opportunity to ask questions directly to the perpetrator, expressing feelings and emotions.
Its goal is to support the healing process of the victim and allow the offender to learn the impact of his/her offense on the victim’s physical, emotional and financial existence, and take direct responsibility for his/her behavior by mutually developing a Restorative Justice plan that addresses the harm caused by the …
A restorative justice program aims to get offenders to take responsibility for their actions, to understand the harm they have caused, to give them an opportunity to redeem themselves and to discourage them from causing further harm.
Restorative Justice Core Values
Focus on the harms of crime rather than just the rules that have been broken. Show equal concern and commitment to victims, offenders, and communities by involving all in the process of justice.