restorative justice is an alternative to traditional methods of punishment, and incorporates the victim as part of the rehabilitation of the offender.
the concept of RJ is that offenders should in some way restore the situation to what it was before the crime was committed.
aims of restorative justice
rehabilitation of offenders(so that they do not reoffend)
the victim has an opportunity to explain the harm caused by the crime, to enable the offender to understand the effects on the victim.
it also encourages the criminal to accept responsibility for their actions (Andrew and Bonta, 2006,) and this is hoped to have an effect on their future behaviour.
offenders gather an insight into the perspective of the victim, and are therefore less likely to reoffend.
aims of restorative justice
2. atonement for wrongdoing
offenders may offer concretecompensation for the crime (money or doing unpaid community work.)
most importantly is the psychological "atonement" - the offender showing feelings of remorse.
the victim has the opportunity to express their distress, providing the offender with a chance to develop empathy.
how does it work?
RJ is about victims and offenderscommunicating within a controlled environment in the presence of a mediator who facilitates and oversees the communication.
can be done in a number of ways, e.g. pay compensation, talking etc.
it is better for both parties if there is some form of meaningfulcommunication between the victim and offender.
a theory of restorative justice
Watchel and McCold proposes a theoretical framework in which the focus is on relationships rather than punishments.
successful RJ should involve three "stakeholders" - victims, offenders and communities.
if only onestakeholder is involved, then the process is partlyrestorative, two = mostly and three = fully.
