CRJ4999 Senior Seminar: Restorative Justice and Social Influence

This discussion post examines restorative justice programs and the role of community and social control within the criminal justice system. The assignment begins by defining restorative justice, its aims, and goals, which include addressing the harm caused by the offender and promoting healing for both victims and offenders. The post explores the working of restorative justice programs, including techniques like open discussions, group activities, and legal awareness. It then analyzes the effectiveness of social control in these programs, emphasizing its role in promoting healing and offender accountability. Furthermore, the assignment discusses the effectiveness of restorative justice programs for juvenile offenders compared to adults, and the role of community and social networks in correcting offender behavior. The assignment is based on research and provides an analysis of the restorative justice process in the United States.

Running Head: SOCIOLOGY 0
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROCESS
UNITED STATES

SOCIOLOGY 1
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Aims and goals................................................................................................................................2
Working of the program..................................................................................................................2
Social control...................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................3
References........................................................................................................................................5

SOCIOLOGY 2
Introduction
In this assignment the role of community and social control in restoring the justice via
restorative justice process used to deal with the offender will be explained in details. To begin
with it first the meaning of restoration of justice will be taken into consideration i.e. it is an
approach for obtaining justice in response to a crime held between the victim and the offender
and sometimes with the entire community. Its basic aim is to share the experience of the
happenings and to discuss about the victim with whom the crime was committed, in what
circumstances and all. Its goal is to create awareness and consciousness of the offender so that he
can repair, and take the responsibility for his deeds i.e. the harm of the offence so committed by
him.
Aims and goals
It can also be considered as alternative theory of the customarily used technique of justice
i.e. the retributive theory. The restorative approach is more of personalized and localized
approach of the justice. For example in Minnesota and Colorado there were schools who used
this program with those students who were addict of drug and alcohol for circumventing the
formal and the disciplinary approvals like dismissal or detention. These programs connected
those students with the members of the local civic so that they can obtain a better understanding
of the harm done by their abuse of drug and alcohol had done on them (Justice, 2018).
Working of the program
In restorative justice the offenders are viewed as those individuals who can be amended
or transformed into better people i.e. to overcome and reconcile the victims with the family and

SOCIOLOGY 3
the society (Jaafari, 2018). Though it’s a really complicated process but some of the useful
techniques are
Open discussion i.e. the offenders must be given a chance to meet their victim and
understand the exact consequences of the harm committed by their actions.
Group activities i.e. the acts where the offender and the victims are engaged in a number
of activities together, which helps in helping a sense of belonging and understanding.
Legal awareness i.e. a number of young wrongdoers basically the juveniles who are
basically unaware of their legal rights so these programs help them to realize the law and
consequences of the acts committed by them.
Awareness programs relating to education plays an important role in restoring justice
basically in the juveniles and the youths as they receive aid with the schoolwork and can lead a
powerful life with significance (Student, 2018).
Social control
It is very effective as its core is to make profits and promote healing for both the victims
and the offenders. It enables the offenders to take account of their action and victims to
overcome the trauma and start a new life with the healing process.
The ideas of social control translate the policies of the community, investigates and
reports the doubtful conducts to the police. These policies generates advanced certainty i.e. the
recognizing level. Social control thus plays a very essential role in the program of restorative
justice (warner, Beck, & Ohmer, 2010).
Conclusion
Thus it can be concluded for the above study that the restorative justice program plays a
very important role in protecting the justice system and is more effective on the juveniles i.e. the

SOCIOLOGY 4
child below the age of 18 years as compared to the adults and hence is proved to be better
process as compared to that of the other formal systems in controlling the behaviors and the done
acts as the detention and other harsh punishments may make people aggressive and brings in
them other negative impacts.

SOCIOLOGY 5
References
Jaafari, J. D. (2018, September 14). RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROGRAMS THAT WORK.
Retrieved from National Swell: http://nationswell.com/criminal-justice-reform-
restorative/
Justice, R. (2018). Aims & Objectives. Retrieved from Bulding bridges: http://restorative-
justice.eu/bb/aims-objectives/
Student, L. (2018, February 2). Can Restorative Justice Provide Alternative Criminology?
Retrieved from Law teacher:
https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/criminology/can-restorative-justice-provide-
alternative-of-social-control-criminology-essay.php
warner, B. D., Beck, E., & Ohmer, M. L. (2010). Linking informal social control and restorative
justice: moving social disorganization theory beyond community policing. Contemporary
justice Review, 13(4), 355-369.