The fields of criminology, as well as victimology, have come up with a new movement called restorative justice. This kind of justice accepts that crime injures individuals and communities. It asserts that justice fixes those injuries and that the people involved are allowed to take part in that process. Therefore, restorative justice programs will enable the offender, the victim as well as the impacted community members to be directly absorbed in responding to the offense (Centre for Justice and Reconciliation at Prison Fellowship International, 2008). They become core to the process of criminal justice, with legal and governmental professionals acting as facilitators of a system that aspires at the accountability of offenders, retribution to the victim as well as full involvement of the victim, community, and offender.
The restorative process that mainly involves all parties often takes place in face-to-face meetings. It is a secure way of talking about the physical and material injuries, psychological, social and relational damages that are brought about by crime. When one side is not able or does not intend to take part in such a meeting, other methods are usually adopted to attain the restorative result of mending the harm. Approaches such as community service, restitution, and different amenable sentences can be utilized in discussing offender accountability (Centre for Justice and Reconciliation at Prison Fellowship International, 2008). When it comes to talking about offender and victim reintegration, the approaches can include emotional, spiritual as well as material support and assistance.
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Restorative justice differs from modern criminal justice in many ways. First and foremost, it sees criminal acts more extensively-instead of defining crime as merely breaking the law; it acknowledges that criminals cause harm to people, communities and even themselves. Secondly, more parties participate in the process of responding to the crime – instead of granting critical roles only to the offender and the government, it involves communities and victims also. Lastly, it measures prosperity differently where instead of quantifying how much punishment is administered, it measures how much injury is repaired or prevented.
It is imperative to comprehend the elements or values found in restorative justice systems. The elements include harmful behavior, inclusion, accountability, safety, transformation, voluntary, humanistic, as well as interaction.
Harmful behavior
Restorative justice looks at the full impacts of criminal behavior. It sees crime not only as breaking the law but mainly as damage to people, their relationships, their property and their communities (Correctional Service Canada, 2012). For this reason, proper responses need a significant concentration on the harm resulting from the crime. Moreover, the system recognizes the damage developed by the process of criminal justice on the parties.
Inclusion
Restorative justice is propelled by an involvement of all individuals impacted by crime, who are usually the victim, offender, their private support individuals (friends, family, others) and the society. This needs lifting up the responsibilities of those traditionally left out of the process, specifically the victim as well as the community. Inclusion acknowledges necessary elements of accessibility, giving voice, owning the operation and support.
Accountability
Restorative justice aims to develop processes that enable offenders to take responsibility for the injuries created by their crimes, directly to the people harmed. It is also an opportunity for the community to view its role in having a hand in the offense. This needs that all points should hear all viewpoints and comprehend the truth of what took place. Also, accountability involves accepting responsibility for discussing the needs and injuries arising from it. For many individuals, accountability also symbolizes the opportunity to condemn the offense and reinforce social laws and rules.
Safety
Safety is a complicated element which has two central folds. First, safety is seen as a requirement to reestablish a sense of security to those affected by the criminal act. Secondly, safety implies the need to come up with processes for restorative justice that are entirely safe (emotionally, physically, and psychologically) for those taking part in the process (Correctional Service Canada, 2012). This involves developing structures for support within and around the process of restoration. Where there are power imbalances among the parties involved, these dynamics can be very destabilizing to the development of an environment that is safe for restorative justice. Safety also ensures the participants’ rights are respected.
Transformation
The potential results of the interventions of restorative justice include healing, individual growth, restoration of positive relationships, remuneration of harms, and development of improved public and personal situations. These goals are directed to all participants, but they are not always attained. These objectives are fundamental thus interventions of restorative justice champion movement towards the attainment of these goals.
Voluntary
Participants are required to make choices concerning participation, limitations, process design, and time frames. Restorative justice is created to engage participant needs, their wants and desires entirely.
Humanistic
This implies the values that explain the nature of interactions between participants. These include compassion, respect, dignity, openness, honesty, and growth. Equity and fairness are also fundamental.
Interaction
Communication is needed between those affected by the crime (Correctional Service Canada, 2012). The interface can be face-to-face meetings, shuttle communication, video exchanges and correspondence, multi-party representation as well as online discussions.
In a nutshell, my view on restorative programs is that these programs are effective in reducing recidivism. They substantially decrease repeat offending for many criminals. Moreover, they provide both the offenders as well as victims with more repletion that justice has been done efficiently. Therefore, the government should emphasize more on restorative justice to deter crime as these programs are helpful.
References
Centre for Justice and Reconciliation at Prison Fellowship International. (2008, May). ~jmaahs/Correctional Assessment/rj brief.pdf . Retrieved from http://www.d.umn.edu: http://www.d.umn.edu/~jmaahs/Correctional%20Assessment/rj%20brief.pdf
Correctional Service Canada. (2012, August 7). restorative-justice/003005-0006-eng.shtml . Retrieved from http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/restorative-justice/003005-0006-eng.shtml
