1. How does the "Balanced and Restorative Justice' philosophy different from the current philosophy of the United States? 2. What does "Balanced" mean in "Balanced and Restorative Justice? 3. What are...

1. How does the "Balanced and Restorative Justice' philosophy different from the current philosophy of the United States?

2. What does "Balanced" mean in "Balanced and Restorative Justice?

3. What are the three pillars (3 legs of a stool) of restorative justice and why are they important?

4. What are the benefits of restorative justice to the community? For the victim? For the individual perpetrator.

5. Describe one country in the world or one program that is being used (in the United States or abroad) that currently employs a Restorative Justice philosophy. Hint: Types of U.S. programs are listed in the PDF

Microsoft Word - Restorative Justice.doc Balanced and Restorative Justice (B.A.R.J.) Restorative justice is a philosophy and practice based on the idea of taking responsibility for actions that have hurt or harmed someone else and/or yourself. Rather than focus on punishment and isolation from the community, restorative justice focuses on meaningful accountability, which includes actively engaging in understanding what harms have been done and how to repair those harms. The vision of the restorative justice work is to create safer communities, greater victim satisfaction, and authentic and meaningful accountability. The term “Balanced and Restorative Justice” (B.A.R.J.) simply acknowledges that the individual must be accountable for his or her actions (i.e. punishment), but the focus is much more on rehabilitation. However, if we are going to make communities safe, this “individual only” response is lacking. Therefore, Balanced and Restorative Justice focuses on three areas of making communities safer: A. Individual (perpetrator accountability and rehabilitation) B. Victim (satisfaction and support) C. Community (building relationships and minimizing stigma & fear) Types of Balanced and Restorative Justice Programs may include: A. Delancey Street Center (San Francisco ex-convict work program) B. Mentoring Programs (demonstrated reduction in recidivism = repeat offenders) C. Peer Court (Yamhill County, Oregon) D. Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Programs E. Family Support (i.e. Family Functional Theory) F. Victim Restoration (i.e. Victim “meeting” with the perpetrator) G. Community Restoration Programs (community service partnerships etc.) H. Strengths Based Model rather than Deficit Based I. Aggression Replacement Therapy (i.e. instead of anger management) J. Letter of Responsibility (i.e. instead of a letter of apology)