Justice program rooted in community, not courts
Apr 14, 2011
from Andrea J. Cook's article in the Rapid City Journal:
When the South Dakota Supreme Court decided that the court system should take a restorative approach to dealing with crime, it expanded the system's approach from one that focused solely on the offender to one that considered consequences for victims, Horner said.
Until victim's rights legislation was on the books, victims were often pushed into the background.
Since [the Center for Restorative Justice's] creation, the main goal has been to keep the center community-based, rooted with the community and not the court system, Horner said.
"We've worked hard to keep it separate but connected to the court system," Horner said.
....One of the biggest misconceptions about Restorative Justice is that it doesn't hold people accountable, Horner said.
"It's accountability in it's truest form," Horner said. Paying fines, taking a class or going to jail are pretty easy ways to compensate for a criminal act, she said. "None of that makes you feel and get in touch with what you have truly done to another human being."
For victims, the prosecution and sentencing of the offender does bring somewhat of a sense of closure, Kallemeyn said.
But a life is forever affected when someone is harmed.
Forgiveness is an individual choice and a process that doesn't come about in just one day, Kallemeyn said.
For those victims, who are able to take the next step and meet with their offender, there can be great healing, Kallemeyn said.
"And, I really believe that's what Restorative Justice is all about."
