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 in
responding 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 injustices
involved 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 are
needed.
4. How does restorative justice seek to prevent crime?
It builds on the strengths of community and government. he community
can build peace through strong, inclusive and righteous relationships! the
government 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 and
programs,
&. $ou will show respect to all parties'victims, offenders, justice, colleagues.
Crime wounds Jusi!e "e#$s
H#rr% Mi&# #nd How#rd 'e"r( )**+
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 school
authorities.
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.
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.