Restorative justice refers to a way of responding to crime, or to other types of wrongdoing, injustice or conflict, that focuses primarily on repairing the damage caused by the wrongful action and restoring, insofar as possible, the well-being of all those involved.
The three core elements of restorative justice are the interconnected concepts of Encounter, Repair, and Transform. Each element is discrete and essential. Together they represent a journey toward wellbeing and wholeness that victims, offenders, and community members can experience.
The first step of a restorative process is to have an initial meeting with a restorative practitioner. This allows the harmed person to talk about the impact of the crime, what they are thinking and feeling now, and what they want to happen next.
Restoration -- repairing the harm and rebuilding relationships in the community -- is the primary goal of restorative juvenile justice. Results are measured by how much repair was done rather than by how much punishment was inflicted. Crime control cannot be achieved without active involvement of the community.
Some of the most common programs typically associated with restorative justice are mediation and conflict-resolution programs, family group conferences, victim-impact panels, victim–offender mediation, circle sentencing, and community reparative boards.
A great way to understand the Restorative Justice Community Group Conference process is to look at it through the lens of the 5 R's: Relationship, Respect, Responsibility, Repair, and Reintegration (credited to Beverly Title, founder of Resolutionaries).
There are at least four critical ingredients for a fully restorative process to achieve its objectives: (a) an identifiable victim; (b) voluntary partic- ipation by the victim; (c) an offender who accepts responsibility for his/her criminal behaviour; and, (d) non-coerced participation of the offender.
Restorative Justice sees crime as an act against the victim and shifts the focus to repairing the harm that has been committed against the victim and community. It believes that the offender also needs assistance and seeks to identify what needs to change to prevent future re-offending. 4.