Restorative justice is a fairly simple term many people may be able to just the gist of simply by hearing it's name.
Restorative- Having the ability to restore health, strength, or well-being (source)
Justice- The administration of the law or authority in maintaining this (source)
Meaning, restorative justice is about taking a criminal, and turning them back into a member of society.
However, restorative justice often goes further than that. It is not just about reintegration of the offender, but also making them realize the damages they may have caused, and giving the community a chance to express how the crime has affected them.
This is all achieved by practices such as victim-offender mediation
and restorative conferencing
Eventually, the victim and offender may be able to come to an agreement on how the harm can be repaired, generally either repayment for the damage, or community service.
In addition to this, restorative justice also has one more big benefit, finding the root of the problem.
By having the offender discuss their problem, and why they committed their crime, communities are able to adapt, try to make it so that these problems do not arise again in the future.
Sources:
http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/restorative-justice/003005-0004-eng.shtml
http://search.proquest.com.library.sheridanc.on.ca/docview/348284216?pq-origsite=summon
http://search.credoreference.com.library.sheridanc.on.ca/content/entry/willanyouthj/restorative_justice/0
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