Restorative Justice Circle Essay

Throughout history, society has built systems to regulate righteousness and punish any crime. To reprimand a criminal, the justice system has created a process to take action to discipline the offender. Normally, there are trials in which the judge decides whether the accused will proceed to jail or other forms of punishment. However, a more effective and low-cost solution is a restorative justice circle, which aims to resolve any disputes within communities or groups. Both parties in the dispute must agree to participate. Then, the facilitator must separately meet with the victim and the accused to set up the meeting while making sure that each side has a support system. The victim must decide what they want to achieve from the process. Often,

Sujatha Baliga’s article “A different path for confronting sexual assault” dives into the accused’s perspective in this method. They elaborated on the results of the circle as “Michael had gained an understanding of consent…And after graduation, Michael sent…a copy of a research paper he’d chosen to write on sexual violence” (Baliga). As Micheal has developed his mindset and regret, it showcases that he strives to improve to build better relationships with his peers. Since restorative justice circles provide the accused with the support and resources needed to succeed, the felon has the opportunity to expand their horizons instead of being confident with regret. While regret is important, it is not the solution to issues that restorative justice circles handle. From Micheal’s work, it is clearly shown that he aims to create a better life for himself and his support system while progressively understanding his mistakes. This method allows the accused and survivor to both stand on better terms and gain trust. Micheal’s research paper displays the impact of the circle as he aims to spread awareness of sexual assault and its survivors. R.J. circles guide the accused to grow instead of developing hate and anger toward the survivor. While there are many benefits to this method, some believe

They believe that the accused might follow the process and falsely play a role in the circle to avoid further punishment. It is often viewed as a shortcut for discipline, and the accused will not succeed in learning their lesson. However, the results of R.J. circles on the accused are exhibited from the recidivism rates collected by author Sujatha Baliga. The article states, “youth who participated in the program were 44 percent less likely to commit future crimes than those whose crimes were addressed through the county’s juvenile justice system” (Baliga). As seen from this statistic, restorative justice circles have impacted the accused and guided them into a better life with responsible decisions. It displays how they’ve learned their lesson and can apply it in future instances to avoid imprisonment. This method provides the tools and resources necessary for improvement instead of destroying their mindset along with their mental health. As shown, restorative justice circles are fundamental in the development of criminals as they guide them to a brighter