Restorative Justice and Prevention

Matthew Bowen is one of the most consistently thoughtful and thought-provoking members of the corr sent blogosphere, and he has a typically good post up on research into restorative justice, its outcomes, and what its role in the future might (should) be. I agree with his point that vision should not be lost concerning who participates in these programs and why. The more they’re broadened, the more they will sweep in both offenders and victims not really amenable to the process, the more the positive results will decline. These systems require well-thought criteria for participation and good follow up to ensure that the results concluded actually occur. They’re not for everyone, but they do hold the promise of restoring a faith in the ability of our system to generate outcomes best for the victims, community, and even offenders in a world so institutionalized that it seems mostly to generate outcomes best for corrections sentencing practitioners. Keep these posts coming, Matthew.