Chapter 3 Restoring justice to the community

Abstract

The primary goal of the Restorative Justice process is not punishment but making good the harm done by offending for the victim, the community and the offender. Offenders have to take responsibility for their actions as a precondition to addressing the harm that they have caused. Offenders become aware that a crime is committed, not against an abstraction, but against someone real, a person like themselves and against their community, who are directly and indirectly affected by what has happened. Crime and conflict affect relationships between individuals who are left outside the court system altogether by conventional justice. Proceedings and arguments of the restorative process are voluntary for all parties. People are given the opportunity to partake in mediation, or to accept reparation. The process is always confidential however; outcomes and agreements can be made public, depending on the authorisation by participants.

Citation

Leonard, L. and Kenny, P. (2010), "Chapter 3 Restoring justice to the community", Leonard, L. and Kenny, P. (Ed.) Sustainable Justice and the Community (Advances in Ecopolitics, Vol. 6), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 73-109. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2041-806X(2010)0000006006