Restoration Justice

Restorative justice programs allow criminals to get back into the community.

Restorative justice programs being in the courtroom as an alternative form of punishment for convinced criminals, but they end up benefiting victims and the community at large.

Most states acknowledge some variety of restorative justice programs as an option of punishment for most crimes, but it remains up to the discretion of the judge doing the sentencing to use these programs. These programs are more likely to be permitted in a juvenile court than they are for adults, though the number of programs being offered in adult courts continues to rise.

For the most part, restorative justice programs are considered in cases where intermediate sanctions are called for, which means they are a bit more serious than just getting probation yet do not rise to the occasion of a prison sentence. Judges who use these programs don’t want to give a sentence that is too lenient, so they use a combination of restorative justice programs, prison time, and probation.

Restorative justice programs aim to do more than just punish the criminal. They aim to heal the criminal and the community as well, reducing the chances of a repeat offense and giving more importance to the healing of the victims.

Restitution

If a crime involved financial hardship or setbacks to the victim, then restitution will typically be ordered. This means that the offender will be required to pay money back to the victim in attempt to make up for that aspect of the crime.

Victim-Offender Reconciliation (VORP)

This type of restorative justice program aims to bring some closure to the victim while allowing the offender to take responsibility for their crime and the consequences. The victim and the offender are allowed to interact together in a private setting with the mediation of trained professionals.

It is easy for someone who was convicted of a crime to hide in prison without ever taking personal accountability for their crime. They never have to face the victim and they don’t have to know how their crime affected the victim since they usually never see them again.

Those who voluntarily participate in a VORP program will be forced to face their victim, hear directly how the crime impacted them, and are given the opportunity to face up to the victim and own their crime. This can be a life-altering experience as it shows them the consequences of their crime and makes them take personal responsibility for their actions.

This process is also a healing experience for the victims because they are given the power to stand up to the offender and speak their mind.

Community Service

Some offenders will be required to do some variety of community service which forces them to serve the community which they have wronged. This allows the community to be made whole in some sense while the offender receives more punishment for their crimes.

Offender Counseling/Therapy/Mental Treatment

An April 2010 Oprah show aired never-before-seen footage of the inside workings of a treatment program on McNeil Island where hundreds of the worst child molesters in the United States are now being held voluntarily. It was an enlightening view of how criminals who prey on children for sexual gratification are receiving treatment after serving their prison terms, but it is also the perfect example of restorative justice programs which offer counseling and therapy to offenders.

All offenders confined in the Special Commitment Center on this island are serious child predators who were deemed too risky to be released back into the community after they served their sentences for their crimes. On the island they are given the option of going through therapy which includes group as well as individual sessions aimed at restoring them so they can re-enter society.

Only a handful of offenders have ever been released back into the community from this center, with more than half of the current inmates refusing to take the therapy that might one day earn them their freedom.

Programs like this aim to restore the offender by dealing with their emotional and mental issues that led to the crime to begin with. It is an attempt to prevent future crimes from repeat offenders, though most programs are not as serious or hardcore as the one on McNeil Island.

There are a variety of other restorative justice programs currently being used in states all across the country and the number of programs will only continue to grow in future years.