An Evaluation of the Restorative Justice Model In Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology, Karmen (2015) outlines the restorative justice model of confronting perpetrators of criminal acts. Restorative justice is an alternative to the more traditional legal system of retributive justice; this model strives to increase communication between victim and offender and moves the focus away from offender punishment or other state-centered actions (Karmen, 2015). The restorative justice model has several benefits, including a greater level of focus on crime victims and an emphasis on making peace after a criminal event, such that an offender may reintegrate into society at large (Karmen, 2015). Restorative justice also allows for crime victims …show more content…
Restorative justice often focuses on how the community can be made to feel comfortable accepting the offender back into society and works to achieve meaningful reintegration; this is a sharp contrast from retributive justice, which can make it extremely ostracizing for an ex-offender to reenter society. The model also encourages—or even mandates—offenders to repay the community for the crime committed, thus forging a path for reentry (Karmen, 2015). The increased communication channels between victim and perpetrator in a restorative justice setting allow for the parties to discuss the issues that may have led to the crime’s occurrence (Karmen, 2015). Additionally, the victim and perpetrator may also ask one another questions, a process which may lead to a better personal understanding and, eventually, …show more content…
Restorative justice is not focused on inflicting punishment like retributive justice models, but may still act as a deterrent (notes). Restorative justice creates an incentive for offenders to not reoffend, as they will have a greater community support system and the incentive to not let down community members once they have regained trust. Though some community members will likely object to the lack of punishment, restorative justice serves the community by providing a far most cost effective justice system (Karmen,