ABSTRACT

The criminal justice system has the wrong focus. Its major interest lies in putting behind bars someone convicted of a particular crime. The ripple effects of the social isolation caused by crime are numerous. The criminal justice focus on incarceration does little to repair that. This is one reason why progressives ought to be involved in a new movement called Restorative Justice that aims to change the direction of criminal law by refocusing it on the needs of victims and on repairing communities rather than simply jailing individuals. Victim-Offender Conferencing (VOC) can occur at any point in the criminal justice process. VOC allows a victim and an offender to meet in a safe setting to actively explore the impact and effect of the crime on their lives. During a VOC it is common for the offender to apologize directly to the victim. Sometimes a victim will end up forgiving the offender for committing the act.