Restorative justice is an approach to addressing harm that focuses on healing, accountability, and restoring relationships rather than punishment. It involves victims, offenders, and the community in a collaborative process to repair the harm caused by an offense.

Core Principles:

• Healing and Repair: Prioritizes the needs of the victims and community.
• Accountability: Encourages offenders to take responsibility and understand their impact.
• Inclusion: Involves all stakeholders in finding solutions.

Processes:

• Victim-Offender Mediation: Direct discussions between victims and offenders.
• Restorative Circles: Community discussions to address harm.
• Restorative Conferencing: Structured meetings to agree on reparative actions.

Goals:

• Empowerment: Gives victims a voice.
• Reintegration: Helps offenders reintegrate by addressing root causes.
• Community Strengthening: Fosters collective responsibility and cohesion.

Benefits:

• Reduces Recidivism: Lowers repeat offending.
• Victim Satisfaction: Higher satisfaction compared to traditional justice.
• Cost-Effective: More affordable than incarceration.

Challenges:

• Voluntary Participation: Relies on willing participants.
• Resources: Requires trained facilitators and resources.
• Balancing Needs: Needs careful facilitation to meet all parties’ needs.

Restorative justice is used in various contexts to promote a compassionate and holistic approach to conflict resolution.