We are working toward restorative justice when we ...

 

. . . focus on the harms of wrongdoing more than the rules that have been broken,  

. . . show equal concern and commitment to victims and offenders, involving both in the process of justice,  

. . . work toward the restoration of victims, empowering them and responding to their needs as they see them,  

. . . support offenders while encouraging them to understand, accept and carry out their obligations,  

. . . recognize that while obligations may be difficult for offenders, they should not be intended as harms and they must be achievable,   

. . . provide opportunities for dialogue, direct or indirect, between victims and offenders as appropriate,   

. . . involve and empower the affected community through the justice process, and increase its capacity to recognize and respond to community bases of crime,   

. . . encourage collaboration and reintegration rather than coercion and isolation,   

. . . give attention to the unintended consequences of our actions and programs,   

. . . show respect to all parties including victims, offenders and justice colleagues.

 

Crime wounds . . . justice heals

 

by Harry Mika and Howard Zehr

© Mennonite Central Committee

Conciliation Quarterly Vol. 20, No. 3

Reprinted with permission from Mennonite Conciliation Service.


March 2002