Restorative Justice: Repairing Societal Harm and Promoting Accountability

Running head: RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Restorative Justice
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RESTORATIVE JUSTICE1
Restorative Justice strives to restore and repair the societal harm that has been caused
by crime and deviance while making the offenders liable for their guilt (Justice.gc.ca, 2019).
Different criminal justice systems around the globe has started to use restorative approach for
a better outcome for the accused, offenders and victims, thereby reducing the number of cases
and trials and subsequently reducing the burden of the judicial system (Justice.gc.ca, 2019).
Restorative Justice is a new perspective towards crime, deviance and the criminal justice
system; giving them more holistic and humanizing approach. It looks at crime not just as an
infringement of law of the society but also as a social issue impacting the society, people and
communities. Restorative Justice is a form of justice that repairs the ill-effect of crime and its
evil impact on the society by: a) making the offenders accountable for the criminal acts, b)
addressing the need of the aggrieved parties, providing them opportunities to be heard and
also providing them appropriate relief, and c) preventing future crime and deviance.
There are different methods of Restorative Justice, which can be seen in different form, like:
 Reconciliation or mediation between the victim and the offender where trained
mediators brings the victim and the offender together to discuss regarding the
occurrence of the crime, its effects and any relief that can be provided to the victim
through the offender. Indirect approaches are also used sometimes where the victim
and the offender are made to exchange of letters expressing their grief and respective
situation
 Conferencing, another way by which the principle of restorative justice is often
applied where the victim, offender, their respective supporters and community or
social workers strive to repair and provide relief.
 Victim-Offender panel, bringing victims and offenders who have committed similar
crimes for striking a discussion which might help both the parties to understand each

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other’s situation and often helps the offender to refrain from committing such crime
again.
 Panel of Victims where a group of victims carry out a conversation among
themselves for discussing the impact of the crime that have had an ill-effect on them
and the associated people.
 Circles, social in nature which bring people from same or different community
together to discuss offence, its cause and effect, on the victim and on the community
as a whole, thereby identifying a relevant path of relief forward.
Initiatives of Restorative justice vary from one case to another and from one community to
another as well, for different victim and community have different needs along with the fact
that every crime is different from one another.
Restorative justice can be applied in criminal cases where victims testify regarding
the impact of the crime on their respective lives, holding the offenders accountable for the
injury or loss that they have suffered from. The offenders are given the opportunity to share
their life situation and the reason behind committing the offence. They are also given the
chance to compensate or provide a relief to the victim to the best of their ability or possibility,
which may include general or specific community service, compensation in the form of
money, education for preventing recidivism, et cetera. Restorative justice involves an
interaction or encounter between the victim and offender, like the Mennonite Central
Committee Canada, where the program of restorative justice emphasizes on and values its
participants. Certain Restorative justice programs can be reserved for the victims or for the
offenders but shall bear a restorative framework for addressing the subjects. Indigenous
groups apply restorative justice programs and policies for creating community support for the
victims as well as the offenders, young people in particular, like at Kahnawake, a Mohawk
reserve in Canada.