Restorative Justice

In contrast to many previous reform movements, the restorative justice movement has major, system-wide implications for how justice is done in American society. While initiating restorative justice interventions such as victim-offender mediation, family group conferencing, restorative community service, victim panels, and other forms of victim-offender dialogue or neighborhood dispute resolution is important, restorative justice places a heavy emphasis upon systemic change. Already there are twenty states that have introduced and/or passed legislation promoting a more balanced and restorative juvenile justice system. Thirty other states have restorative justice principles in their mission statements or policy plans. There are individual restorative justice programs in virtually every state, and a growing number of states and local jurisdictions are dramatically changing their criminal and juvenile justice systems to adopt the principles and practices of restorative justice.