Restorative Justice

More on Restorative Justice

Websites with more information about restorative justice

• Institute for Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue (IRJRD). The IRJRD, at the University of Texas at Austin, seeks to build a national mindset that embraces restorative justice principles.  Its mission is to advance meaningful accountability, victim healing and community safety through the use of restorative justice solutions to repair the harm related to conflict, crime and victimization.
  Restorative justice is a fast-growing state, national, and international victim-centered response to wrongdoing that gives individuals adversely affected by a criminal act the opportunity to be directly involved in responding to the harm caused by the crime.  It views crime as a violation of people and interpersonal relationships that creates obligations and liabilities.  Its goals are to hear and put right the wrongs through engaging victims, offenders and community members in restorative dialogue and the creation of mutually beneficial solutions.  
  Learn more at utexas.edu/research/cswr/rji/
   
• Restorative Justice: The Evidence. The report Restorative Justice: The Evidence, looks at studies from Australia, Canada, Britain and the United States for circumstances under which restorative justice was most effective. The studies show that RJ is more effective at reducing re-offense for violent crimes than for property offenses (except burglary) and for those in which there is a personal victim who can be invited to attend a face to face meeting with the offender. The evidence shows that the meetings help the victims by reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms. To read the full report go to http://www.sas.upenn.edu/jerrylee/RJ_full_report.pdf? view=usa&ci=0199274290.
   
• The State of Vermont has implemented a restorative justice philosophy within their mission statement.  Go to www.doc.state.vt.us Take note of their mission statement, victim services, reparative probation, victim impact panels, reparative boards..etc.  Their most unique feature is the “community reparative board” in handling all minor crimes. (This is an adult program.)
    
• Restorative Justice in New Zealand. New Zealand and Australia have been utilizing restorative justice practices for a long time.  To read a case study of the family group conferencing model go to an article entitled “Restorative Justice in New Zealand: Family Group Conferencing as a Case Study” by Allison Morris and Gabrielle Maxwell. wcr.sonoma.edu/v1n1/morris.html
    
• Victim-Offender Mediation. Mark Umbreit, from the University of Minnesota, is an expert in Victim-Offender Mediation.  He has created, researched and authored a myriad of articles and studies on every aspect of victim-offender mediation.  To see just one of his many works, go to an article entitled “Restorative Justice Through Victim-Offender Mediation: A Multi-Site Assessment”.  wcr.sonoma.edu/v1n1/umbreit.html
    
• Juvenile Justice Report Card. Allegheny County Pennsylvania Juvenile Court has converted their court to a balanced and restorative justice model.  Once a year they send out a Juvenile Justice Bulletin to every household in the county entitled “Juvenile Justice Report Card.”  They openly provide data to the community about the effectiveness of the balanced and restorative justice model.  Their data includes the amount of restitution paid to victims, rates of completion of conditions of supervision and impact on recidivism. alleghenycourts.us/family/juvenile/administrative_info.aspx