ABSTRACT
In this final reading in Part 5 exploring possible responses to criminal behavior, we look at another alternative to punishment: restorative justice. Proponents of restorative justice urge a complete rethinking both of the conception of crime and our responses to it. Rather than seeing crimes as acts committed by one individual against a specific victim or society at large, restorative justice requires seeing crime as essentially involving three interested parties: the offender, the victim, and the community. Each is damaged by criminal behavior, and each must be restored by the response to that behavior. Each must also take an active and constructive part in that restorative journey. Crime impacts not only the individuals who commit offenses and their victims, but many others as well. At the very least, the families and friends of both the victim and the offender are also likely to be significantly affected; more remotely, crime may have significant effects on schools, workplaces, religious organizations, and any number of other community groups and organizations as well. According to the restorative model, all of those who are affected by crime must participate in the response to it. This will empower all of those affected by crime and will lead to greater understanding of the impact of the crime on those affected by it, as well as to resolutions that make easier the reintegration of the offender into the community.
