The United States as a whole is new to the concept of restorative justice. In the past, we have always focused on retributive justice and the offender. It was always important to know who committed the crime, what laws were broken, why the crime was committed and how to make the offender realize his offense. Recently, restorative justice has been used to focus on the victim or the victim's family and compensation for the crime. Restorative justice recognizes three key parties to crime: the offender, victim and community. In an effort to serve the needs of these three parties, the criminal justice system needs to be dedicated to restoration, healing, responsibility and prevention.
Restorative justice brings these three key parties together to amend wrongs, to make the offender understand and want to respond positively to his offense. It is way of repairing the damage caused by the offender, through financial reimbursement to the victim(s) or the victim's family or community and public service to give back to the community what he or she has taken away.
According to RestorativeJustice.org, there are three principles that form the foundation for restorative justice, including:.
1. "Justice requires that we work to restore those who have been injured.".
2. "Those most directly involved and affected by crime should have the opportunity to participate fully in the response if they wish.".
3. "Government's role is to preserve a just public order, and the community's is to build and maintain a just peace.".
There are typically seven programs involved in restorative justice, which include, but are not limited to, victim-offender mediation, conferencing, circles, victim assistance, ex-offender assistance, restitution and community service.
Victim-offender mediation, or VOM, provides the opportunity for a victim to meet his offender in a safe setting, usually engaging in a discussion regarding the crime with the help of a mediator.
