ABSTRACT
Restorative justice (RJ) is a voluntary victim-centered mechanism for offender accountability. RJ models provide a framework in which the stakeholders in a given case-typically victims, offenders, their respective family members and friends, and sometimes community leaders-explore the full effects of an offense in a mediated forum under the guidance of a facilitator (McCold, 1996; Moore & O’Connell, 1994). RJ principles, described in detail below, serve as channels of repair for the disrupted relationships that result from crime by holding offenders responsible for their actions and giving victims a supportive atmosphere in which to speak to their experience of the crime and its aftermath (Center for Restorative Justice and Mediation, 1996; Wilmerding, 1997). These practices create connections among the stakeholders of a criminal incident, which form the cornerstones of the repair that eventually can follow.
