Restorative justice is an approach to justice that personalizes the crime by having the victims and the offenders mediate a restitution agreement to the satisfaction of each, as well as involving the community. This contrasts to more punitive approaches where the main aim is retributive justice or to satisfy abstract legal principles.
Victims take an active role in the process. Meanwhile, offenders take meaningful responsibility for their actions, taking the opportunity to right their wrongs and redeem themselves, in their own eyes and in the eyes of the community. In addition, the restorative justice approach aims to help the offender to avoid future offenses.
The approach is based on a theory of justice that considers crime and wrongdoing to be an offense against an individual or community, rather than the State.
Restorative justice that fosters dialogue between victim and offender has shown the highest rates of victim satisfaction and offender accountability.
–Wikipedia
