Restorative justice is an immensely powerful ethical decision-making model that I believe is an additive to fix the way not only the criminal system works but the entire collection of issues that we have in humanity. If individuals can understand the offenses that they commit against others, then it would be easier to correct the behavior. Likewise, if the offended can see retribution for the offense, then they may be able to go on with their life in a better manner. Therefore, restorative justice is a viable ethical decision-making model. The model was created to deal with the criminal justice system and the relationship between the criminal offender and a victim. The same model can be used to deal with anyone who commits an unethical offense against under the person. The center for justice and reconciliation (n.d.) suggests that the model works with these three milestones, the repair, the encounter, the transformation.
The idea of creating a peaceful environment where individuals of unlikeness, such as a criminal and their victim, can come together in the same ecosystem is powerful. Our country suffers due to a lack of understanding of how to reconcile the past and create a better future. The model speaks of ownership for the offense. The offender owns the offense, and the victim is allowed to speak their pain.
This process sounds therapeutic and that is why I believe that it will be successful in many other fields outside of the judicial system. Batchelor (2019) just that there are some victim benefits from communicating with the offender. It allows the victim to feel some level of power and control in a situation in which power and control were taken from them. Restorative justice can be used with many kinds of parties such as sexual offenders, criminal offenders, harassment cases, and the racial discrimination that is present within our society.
Learn more at The Centre for Justice and Reconciliation.
References:
Batchelor, D. (2019). How restorative justice ’works’ : psychological changes expected and experienced by victims who communicate with offenders.
The Centre for Justice & Reconciliation. (n.d.). Tutorial: Introduction to Restorative Justice. Restorative Justice. http://restorativejustice.org/restorative-justice/about-restorative-