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Restorative
justice is a forward-looking, restorative justice is also a preventive
response that aims to understand crime in its social context. The
challenge that restorative justice brings to us is to examine the root
causes of violence and crime in order that these cycles might be broken,
but this approach hinges on the assumption that crime has its origins in
social conditions and that the offenders themselves have often suffered
harm. Now following this logic trail, the communities involved must both
take some responsibility for remedying those conditions that contribute
to crime and at the same time promote healing.
Restorative
justice is becoming a popular alternative to traditional approaches to
criminal justice. The focus on victim needs and the personalizing of
conflict resolution provides a choice for those dissatisfied with the
adversarial and retributive focus of the current justice system.
Several evaluations of restorative justice programs especially those
with a diversion goal, have hardly controlled for the possibility of net
widening and the influence of offender risk on recidivism.
Let’s take a look
at restorative justice at different levels. At the national level
restorative justice takes on various forms, for example victim-offender
mediation is perhaps the most common and involves face-to-face dialogues
between victims and offenders. In victim-offender meetings, offenders
have a chance to take steps to make reparation to their victims which
further than monetary compensation, and includes apology and explanation
of how the crime occurred.
At the international level,
restorative justice may have a role in responding to human rights
violations / genocide cases. A critical step toward restorative justice
is taken when governments tell the truth about past atrocities carried
out by the state. In fact its is thought that true healing requires 3
steps:
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Remembering the
atrocities committed
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Repenting
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Forgiving.
Restoration can often become a
matter of restitution or war reparations especially when there are clear
acts of injustice. In cases of civil war restoration often becomes
linked to the transformation of the relationship between the conflicting
parties, but such restoration can’t take place unless it is supported by
social conditions and unless the larger community makes restorative
processes possible. Restorative justice is linked to social changes in
the international context. |