Youth Victims Of Crime
Restorative Justice
What is Restorative Justice?
A restorative justice approach tries to balance the interests of all of the parties. Victims have an important voice and are central to the restorative justice process. In the traditional criminal justice system, the offender is central: formal justice processes typically look at the laws broken, who broke them and what punishment should be handed out.
A restorative approach looks at:
- the harm done to the victim
- the collective search for ways to heal the whole situation and prevent future harm
- the acceptance of responsibility by the offender
Restorative justice approaches do recognize that healing is an individual process. For some, it is a very private process. Not all victims want to participate in this way. Participation in restorative justice initiatives is entirely voluntary.
A restorative justice approach is concerned with bringing together the victims, the offender, their families and community representatives. Together they must work out a plan to set things right. |