Purpose Of Restorative Justice

The concepts and purposes of restorative justice is a problem-solving approach that focuses on the crime itself such as in property, white-collar offenses, violent offenses, and in some cases of minor offenses such as vandalism and bullying. This type of restorative justice provides the understanding or compromise between the victim, offender and the communities, by defining the harm done, the needs of all the parties, but also tries to find out the circumstances that ultimately led to the crime, and what obligations can be met so the healing process can begin (Center for Justice, 2017). Restorative justice is the opposite of retributive justice. In retribution, the final goal is to harm to one who has harmed another and can be in the manner

The purpose of retributive justice is to help right a person who has been wronged but, the severity of the punishment should have some sort of equivalence to the crime committed. The problem is many type of crimes are difficult to pinpoint what is fair or of an equal value to the crime. Some cases may be easier, such as a first-time DUI, a fine and suspended driver’s license is justified. But when it comes to drug offenses, larceny, manslaughter, or murder there is much more involved in what determines a justifiable punishment in sentencing guidelines, mandatory minimums, fines, and/or revocation of related social privileges (Townsend, 2015). In restorative justice, ethical issues can involve a single victim or many victims, such as a community or coworkers. The first step is getting the offender to admit to the misconduct to the victim or victims who have been harmed. Second, is trying to get those affected by the harm to be able to openly discuss the misconduct by the offender. Problems can arise when the victim or victims reject this because of their anger, fear, distrust of the offender, or feel the offender lacks remorse or shame (Wechsler, 2013). Another ethical issue is the fear that restorative justice will only apply to young or minor offenders, not offenders who are serving long-term, life, or death penalty

These implications can have positive or negative results with the victim, offender, or both. Since restorative justice is a voluntary approach in hoping to restore harm done by an offender, it is also optimistic that it can create a more compassionate justice system for the victims and communities affected by the crime. In allowing a meeting with the offender, they can have a conversation, treating each other with respect, not interrupting each other as they speak, and forging a relationship that can result in forgiveness by the victim and accountability by the offender. In addition, the dialogue between the parties allows the victim to be heard, how they feel and how they are hurting, but also to hear the reasons why the offense occurred. Although, it cannot bring back the life that was taken, restorative justice can help the victim or victims regain a sense of power that they felt they lost or gain independence to move on. Also, restorative justice can have a positive impact on the offender. By being confronted by the victim and their story, the offender is confronted with how their actions have affected others, or the community. For those willing to allow a meeting, restorative justice can pave path towards forgiveness or mercy for the offender and a sense of closure for the victim or victims (Gaudreault,