Restorative Justice in a Nutshell

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CHAPTER _____: RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN A NUTSHELL

1. What is restorative justice?

It is different way of thinking about crime and our response to it.

It focuses on the harm caused by crime: repairing the harm done to the

victims and reducing future harm by preventing crime.

It requires offenders to take responsibility for their actions and for the

harm they have caused. It seeks redress for victims, recompense by offenders, and reintegration of

both within the community. It is achieved through a cooperative effort by communities and the

government.

2. How is restorative justice different from what we do now?

It views criminal acts more comprehensively, rather that defining crime

only as lawbreaking. It recognizes the offenders harm to victims, to

communities and even to themselves. It involves more parties, rather than giving key roles only to government

and offender. It includes victims and communities as well. It measures success differently, rather than measuring how much

punishment has been inflicted. It measures how much harm has been

repaired or prevented.

It recognizes the importance of community involvement and initiative inresponding to and reducing crime, rather leaving the problem of crime to

the government alone.

3. How does restorative justice respond to crime?

It emphasizes victim recovery through redress, vindication, and healing.

It emphasizes recompense by the offender through reparation, fair

treatment, and rehabilitation. It establishes processes through which parties are able to discover the truth

about what happened and the harms that resulted, to identify the injusticesinvolved and to agree on future actions to address those harms.

It establishes evaluation processes through which the community and

government may consider whether new strategies to prevent crime areneeded.

4. How does restorative justice seek to prevent crime?


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It builds on the strengths of community and government. he community

can build peace through strong, inclusive and righteous relationships! thegovernment can bring order through fair, effective and parsimonious use

of force. It emphasizes the need to repair past harms in order to prepare for the

future. It seeks to reconcile offenders with those they have harmed.

It helps communities learn to reintegrate victims and offenders.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

OR RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

"hen you do justice restoratively#..

I. $ou will focus on the harms of crime rather than the rules that have been

broken,

II. $ou will be equally concerned about victims and offenders, involving both

in the process of justice.

III. $ou will work toward the restoration of victims, empowering them and

responding to their needs as they see them.

I%. $ou will support offenders while encouraging them to understand, accept,

the carry out their obligations.

%. $ou will recognize that while obligations may be difficult for offenders,

they should not be intended as pain.

%I. $ou will provide opportunities for dialogue, direct or indirect, between

victim and offender as appropriate,

%II. $ou will find meaningful ways to involve the community and to respond

to the community bases of crime.

%III. $ou will encourage collaboration and reintegration rather than coercion

and isolation,

I&. $ou will be mindful of the unintended consequences of your actions andprograms,

&. $ou will show respect to all parties'victims, offenders, justice, colleagues.

Crime wounds Jusi!e "e#$s

H#rr% Mi #nd How#rd 'e"r( )**+


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Inern#ion#$ ,uide$ines -or "e Po$i!e in "e L#w

En-or!emen Adminisr#ion o- Ju.eni$e Jusi!e

I. Police Officers in General

(. )bandon outdated concepts that juvenile justice is an

unimportant part of police work.

*. +nroll in specialized training on the effective and

humane care of children either as victims or accused of

coming into conflict with the law.

. -articipate in child educational programs which help

prevent child crime and child victimization.

. ry to get to know the children and their families in your

area.

/. 0e alert to places and adults presenting real criminal risks

and to the presence of children in such places.

1. If children are sighted away from school during school

hours, inquire and notify the family and the schoolauthorities.

2. -romptly investigate any evidence of neglect or abuse of

children in their homes, communities or police facilities.

3. 4eet regularly with social workers and medical

personnel to discuss child issues relating to your work.

5. 6eep all records of children in separate and secure

storage.

(7.8eport to superiors any information indicating that a

colleague is breaching a childs rights.


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II. Police officers in supervisory positions

(. +ncourage the use of variety of dispositions for

alternatives to institutional treatment of children

including care, guidance and counseling.

*. )ssist in the development and implementation of

community programs for the prevention of juvenile

crime.

. +stablish child'sensitive procedures, consistent with their

human rights requirements, for bringing detained

children before a court.

. 9evelop non'stigmatizing strategies for protecting

children in especially vulnerable circumstances, such as

poverty, homelessness, abusive families or high crime

areas.

/. 9evelop child'sensitive interview techniques and

procedures.

1. 0egin to develop a special child unit for child crime and

child victimization.

2. +stablish independent and impartial child'centered

procedures for direct complaints and communications to

be made by children.

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Restorative Justice in a Nutshell