Restorative Justice
The Center for Restorative Justice at Suffolk University defines restorative justice as:
a broad term which encompasses a growing social movement to institutionalize peaceful approaches to harm, problem-solving and violations of legal and human rights. These range from international peacemaking tribunals such as the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission to innovations within our criminal justice system, schools, social services and communities. Rather than privileging the law, professionals and the state, restorative resolutions engage those who are harmed, wrongdoers and their affected communities in search of solutions that promote repair, reconciliation and the rebuilding of relationships. Restorative justice seeks to build partnerships to reestablish mutual responsibility for constructive responses to wrongdoing within our communities. Restorative approaches seek a balanced approach to the needs of the victim, wrongdoer and community through processes that preserve the safety and dignity of all. Suffolk University, College of Arts & Sciences, Center for Restorative Justice
Restorative Justice Centers and programs are in activation all over the world and study after study shows decline in recidivism and reoffending rates, as well as significant reduction in associated costs.
In the case of violent crime, participants to victim offender mediation report a change in perception, both by the victim toward the offender, and the offender toward the role he or she plays in a just society. In her blog, "Brown Skinned Lady", Simone Sneed says:
the rates of incarceration are growing at an alarming rate. People of color make up the majority of incarcerated persons. Over the last five years the number of young women in prison has increased at an alarming rate. People are going to prison because historically the justice systems sees their crime as a crime against the state. This type of logic invalidates the pain that crime causes a community or an individual and restorative justice seeks to address that.
Additional Resources:
Trendsetters
Problem Solving Courts, Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Juvenile Justice, Restorative Justice, Judicial Well-Being
