Disadvantages Of Restorative Justice

662 Words2 Pages

Jaquisha Magruder
Professor Soni
PSC 430
Final

Restorative justice takes an approach that focuses on the community as a whole. The victims, the offenders, and the community are all included in this approach towards justice. This approach allows the victims to take an active role, but it strongly pushes for offenders to take responsibility for their wrong doings. In doing this, the offender is repairing the damage they have done. They do so by giving back stolen money or possessions, apologizing, and doing work in the community. Restorative justice gives the victim and the offender the opportunity to focus on themselves. Restorative justice offers support to offender and helping to prevent future occurrences.
All effected by the crimes get the chance to have a discussion about their personal experiences and how it has effected them. The community must take an active role in addressing the crimes that have been committed. This can include speaking on very traumatic experiences that they have experienced and having to revisit them which can be very hard. The restorative justice approach is a way to encourage the reconciliation process. The main idea that is encouraged through restorative justice is that time heals.
Advantages of the restorative justice are that victims get to present their stories to offenders and this makes it more personal. The victims are able to speak directly to offenders and express how the crimes committed against them have effected their lives. This also provides a therapeutic experience for the victim. This will also make it so that the offender may be able to empathize with the victim and their experience. Offenders also have the option to have a hearing in a community conference rather than court. Another...

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... Tutu that South Africa could not move forward without confronting the past. The 22,000 testimonies heard over those years were heartbreaking and it was sad to hear that so many had suffered in silence. Desmond Tutu was deeply affected by the stories he heard, he became very emotional during some of the testimonies, but did not want to take attention away from the victims.
“Without forgiveness, there is no future”.
The archbishop had a sense of what people wanted and what they needed and wanted to help in finding ways to give it to them. The people in South Africa were very appreciative and it was therapeutic to take the stand and testify before Desmond. Forgiveness is a big aim for the commission and it was being implemented. The terrible crimes that were committed were not denied, but the people were able to take them head on and began their healing process.

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