Restorative Justice and Youth Reoffending in the United Kindom

Restorative Justice, according to Google, is a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large. It does not have a place in our society for several reasons. It is ineffective because it doesn’t punish people, doesn’t change them, and makes the situation even worse in most cases.

Restorative Justice will not make the basic prejudices on our society worse than what they are, however restorative justice should restore synchronization within the community or society as a whole through based on discussion of the offender’s underlying problems and not to reoffend against the victim in particular nor any member of society, and what charges the offender may face if he re-offends “Restorative justice is deliberative justice; it is about people deliberating over the consequences of crimes, and how to deal with them and prevent their recurrence” (Braithwaite, 1998, p. 438).

Restorative justice is rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community. Restorative justice programs are conferences held to enable offenders, victims and community members to meet face to face to discuss the crime that was done and determine the best way to repair the harm. Usually when offenders hear their victims describe the effect the crime had on them, they often feel sympathy and express remorse. Restorative justice conferences give the victims and community member’s justice and satisfaction. I believe the system is good because it gives criminals time to try and better themselves and try to change, and also gives justice and closure to the victims.

Its most commonly known definition was provided by Marshall in 1996, that describes restorative justice as a process where both parties; victims and offenders, work together to restore, resolve and deal with the after effects of the offence and future ramifications (as cited in Van Camp & Wemmers, 2013). The concept of restorative justice originally derived from various indigenous and pre-industrial western justice practices, however, in the 1970's it begun to appear in modern times and was then developed as a reference to describe victim-offender programs that were developed in North America (Strang, 2001). Restorative Justice approaches spread across the world in the 1990's, where many countries such as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, began introducing these approaches as alternatives in their criminal justice systems (Braithwaite, 1999). The concept of restorative justice usually involves victim and offender direct participation and is conducted in the form of conferences or mediation. This is where both parties; the victims and offenders, come together fact-to-face in one location, alongside a facilitator, police and support people, and work out together the consequences of the offenders actions and the

What do you believe each writer’s stronger topic to be? The topic the writers choose is very interesting and it is a current issue in our criminal justice system. The writer have chooses a very interesting topic would be able to find valuable sources and evidences that show how effective a restorative justice program would be for juveniles. Also, the writer would be able to find arguments that are against or for restorative justice program for first-time juveniles’ offenders.

Restorative justice is a style of discipline found within the criminal justice system that focuses on the rehabilitation of juvenile and adult offenders through reconciliation with victims and society at large (Richards 2009). Practices and programs that reflect restorative purposes will respond to crime by identifying harm and pain caused, taking steps to mitigate damage, and finally repairing the harm caused. Restorative justice encompasses all

There are many cases that show that just by punishing offenders, doesn’t teach them the lesson. Restorative justice is a different approach to dealing with criminal justice. Restorative justice focuses on the needs of offenders and victims and their families. Rather than just punishment,

Restorative justice- an approach to corrective justice that focuses on meeting the need of all concerned.

Restorative justice is a way to view crime in a positive way, viewing it as a way to help those who offend and those who are affected. By punishing an offender immediately no matter the crime committed they are stigmatized instantly by society, their peers, family and possibly even themselves. The negative stigmatization slowly but surely removes them from society as they are seen as people who do not belong and people who break the rules. Restorative justice helps because they are not stigmatized and punished immediately and by not doing so, and instead helping and guiding them, on what will happen, how to re enter society and having the people who were affected by their actions express their experience and feelings the offender will see the error of his or her ways.

Under the retributive justice system, justice is achieved by finding out which law was broken, who broke it, and punishing the offender. The offender is then sentenced to repay the state for his/her crime against it by serving a sentence of some sort, usually in the form of jail or prison time. In the restorative system, justice is achieved by figuring the harm done, the repair s needed for the harm, and who should repair it. The offender is then accountable to the victim and the community. The state then has the responsibility to ensure that the offender is held accountable to the victim.

Restorative Justice is a theory that emphasizes repairing the harm that has been caused by criminal behavior 1. (John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism,2010). Restorative justice is important because, it holds offenders accountable in meaningful and constructive ways, can contribute to a more satisfying experience of justice for victims and communities. There are various methods of restorative justice in which they are practiced; examples include victim offender mediation, conferencing, healing circles, victim assistance, ex-offender assistance, restitution, and community service. Each method focuses on the needs of both the offender and the victim, and heals in different ways. Research shows that both victims and offenders have high levels of

“Restorative justice is a process whereby parties with a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath of the offence and its implications for the future” (Munchie, 2004).

Cullen and Gendreau (2000). give us some history on the restorative incarceration. The original theory of restorative justice was based on simple human behavior regulated by incentive instead of punishment, which instituted the concept of parole as a means of reward for a prisoner for rehabilitation. Further studies in criminology proved that this idea was too simplistic and married it to the positivist theory of criminology and instituted individual assessment and treatment for each prisoner based on their specific needs for reformation.

Data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) from 2013/2014 have been used. The CSEW is a face-to-face survey asking households about their perception and experience of crime in the 12 months preceding the interview. The information at my disposal are part of a special unrestricted access teaching dataset produced by the UK Data Archive. Out of a sample of 35,371 households chosen in England and Wales for the actual survey, I had access to a 25% sample of 8,843 households. Representative of households were chosen through the Postcode Address File which excludes aggregative accommodation such as residential halls and prisons.

Restorative or Community Justice is a fairly new concept. It is aimed more at repairing damages caused by the crime to the victim(s) and the community involved. In this method the victim lays out conditions for the offender and what is necessary to help repair any losses. The community provides assistance to help restore the offender to the community. Some say that this method can be dangerous and bypasses certain safeguards.