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. RJ can be distinguished from retributive systems, like the US criminal justice system. At the forefront of the justice system is law enforcement, and the officers who serve as first responders in crime and the gatekeepers to the criminal justice system share the widespread discontent. The number and variety of RJ models are almost infinite, and the decision about which form to choose can and should be determined by the circumstances of the criminal event and the victim. Initial experiments with RJ in policing have shown promising results—both for victims and communities as well as for police officers.
