We all want safer communities, right? Crime prevention can benefit our communities in countless ways, and stopping recidivism—repeat offenses—is a crucial part of that.
But how do we get there?
Restorative justice programs are helping people and neighborhoods heal while easing the strain on our overburdened criminal justice system. Let’s look at what these programs do to foster a safer, more just society.
Restorative justice programs bring together offenders, victims, families, and community members to talk openly and find a way forward. The main goals are to:
These programs are usually run by community groups, nonprofits, victim support organizations, government agencies, or correctional facilities.
Restorative justice programs come in many forms, each designed to address harm and support healing in different ways. Let’s break down the differences:
Victim impact panels give victims or their families a chance to relate how a crime has affected their lives. Offenders attend to listen and reflect, but they don’t interact directly with the victims. A moderator leads the panel to keep the tone civil.
Here’s what you can expect from a typical victim impact panel:
Victim offender mediation (VOM) brings the victim and offender together in a private, safe setting. With trained mediators there to guide the conversation, both sides share their feelings about what happened and try to find some common ground.
Things to know about victim offender mediation:
Community reparative boards (CRBs) are usually made up of volunteers and bring together victims, offenders, and community members. Offenders appear before these boards to accept responsibility for what they’ve done. Victims may attend or provide impact statements. The board then creates a restorative contract: a legal document laying out what happened, how the offender will make it right, and what positive changes they’ll make moving forward.
There are several benefits to using community reparative boards:
Think of this restorative justice approach as a formal “intervention.” Family group conferences bring together victims, offenders, families of both parties, and a trained facilitator. Everyone discusses how the crime affected them and how they can prevent it from happening again. The goal is to walk away with a reparative plan—a clear strategy for how the offender will make amends.
In a family group conference:
Circle sentencing is often practiced by Native American and other Indigenous communities. The victim and offender, their support networks, facilitators, and criminal justice representatives all attend. The group discusses their views about the crime and decides how the offender will make reparations.
Some circle sentencing programs involve community volunteers, like this mentoring program for juvenile offenders. For this type of program:
Restorative justice programs can deliver customized reparative plans or next steps for offenders, including:
The statistics on restorative justice and recidivism are encouraging!
A review of 22 studies showed that offenders in restorative justice programs were 27% less likely to reoffend than those who went to jail or were put on probation. Another study showed that community-based restorative justice programs led to 12% fewer repeat offenses compared to a control group.
Even as restorative justice reduces repeat offenses among participants, it can also offer significant benefits to victims. Victims report feeling more empowered and validated by the restorative justice experience. This process can also offer a lifeline to those awaiting closure from a strained criminal justice system.
Here’s what we’ve learned about restorative justice programs.
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Already earned a criminal justice-related bachelor’s degree? Gain the know-how to lead in criminal justice. Graduate in as little as one year.
Fascinated by restorative justice? Check out our elective course in Restorative Justice and Social Change.
Sources:
https://ncorj.org/
https://restorativejustice.org/
https://ninthcircuit.org/programs-services/neighborhood-restorative-justice
https://www.unodc.org/pdf/criminal_justice/Handbook_on_Restorative_Justice_Programmes.pdf
https://www.c4rj.org/documents/Restorative-Agreement-Website-Final.pdf
https://crimesolutions.ojp.gov/topics/restorative%20justice
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