The Little Book of Restorative Justice by Howard Zehr

The Little Book of Restorative Justice by Howard Zehr

Summary of the book

In the book, Restorative Justice emphasizes the stakeholders’ transformation that has been found guilty due to their offense. The book identifies the offense and addresses the harm that is likely to occur, and lastly, considers the need and the obligation that needs to be paid attention to put things right in a legal way. The book provides the cases that are minor crimes and the brutal crimes all put together to find a solution in addressing justice in those areas. Howard also extrapolates the relationship between restorative justice and other forms of justice. Generally, the main aim of restorative justice is to reduce future uncertainties by reducing future offenses, bringing transformation and justice to both parties, and ensuring authoritative decision making is portrayed in the hands of those impacted by the offense. The book provides different forms of results, especially justice, through providing information about the offense and truth-telling about the repercussions of the offense hence bringing transformation to the people. The offenders are transformed by being made accountable for the harm they did, and they are entirely made responsible for the act. Finally, restorative justice is provided; hence the offender develops a sense of self competencies, becomes re-integrated in the society,

and is healed from the cause of the source of the offenses (Zehr, 2015). Generally, the community is based in this book since the people justice restoration is a benefit to the community. Hence, societies can create mutual accountability and fully recognizes the responsibilities of the welfare of the members of the community.

Lessons learned from the book in connection to the criminal justice system

In the book Restorative Justice, Howard provides the criminal justice system, which is used in the identification of the crime, and through justice, the crime is repaired to prevent the occurrence of any future harm. The parties involved decide together on the way forward. Through the offenses, there are penalties to the offender hence bringing the transformation in the community. The core aim of justice is to transform the people to get back into their original state by bringing the lawful responsibilities of the people and embrace personal accountability. Transformation is enhanced through the restoration punishment designed to the offender to repair the damages and compensate for the loss of the victim (Johnstone, 2013). This is a vital system that brings back the ethical role of a person and to reduce future offenses that may occur in the future. The criminal justice system also emphasizes that the significant impact of the crimes is that they cause harm to the other party, and hence justice should be provided. The victims should be able to participate in the resolution by embracing justice to be made.

The criminal justice system ensures that the victim is fully satisfied by the justice enacted, and the offender is responsible and accountable for his criminal acts and understands that he has affected other people. The system ensures that the offender is held responsible, and the outcomes from the decision made are used to repair the harm done and address the reasons for the offense. The offender and the victim are brought closure since each has been held responsible, and then they are re-integrated back in society (Calhoun, 2013). The system’s main aim is to bring integration and collaboration in the community rather than coercion and isolation.

The best way to find the solution to an offense is to hold a dialogue between the offender and the victim and see who is guilty of the act. Then the best strategy to use is to find meaningful ways to involve the community and respond to community bases of crimes. It is likewise vital to concentrate on the harm rather than the rules that have been broken. This will show equal concern and commitments to all the parties (Morrison, 2015). The offender should be made to understand the harm he or she has done, accept, and carry out their obligations.

 

 

Problems about the American justice system

             The major problem of the American justice system is the lack of providing justice and fairness to the low-class people. It has been found that the procedural arrangements can only be affordable by the rich to get the trial. Also, the prosecutors unfairly provide unfair sentencing to the poor that can lead to decades in jail (Berman, 2015). The system only favors the rich since they are capable of repaying the penalty, and due to increased corruption, then the sentencing is on their favor. With this, you find that the poor have nothing to defend themselves on rather than accepting to rot in jails.

             Inequality in gender is also a problem in the American justice system since the possibility a judge will sentence one to prison are more than chances a judge will do the same to the woman (Feinblatt, 2015). This is basically because the men are believed to be convicted with criminal violence that women and, in many cases, it may be the opposite. Therefore, one finds that the man will be given a long prison sentence than a woman, which is not fair. It is not justice to over sentence one gender than the other due to some phenomenon that is past considered. Instead, the judges should consider the crime done and sentence fairly to both parties, both male and female.

Conclusion

The book Restorative Justice provides knowledge about the way justice should be restored in the community and to both offenders and the victims. It brings in the virtue of accountability in repairing the harms and that all the parties are responsible for bringing justice in societies (Zehr, 2013). The main aim of restorative justice is the enable people to be more accountable for their actions and to allow them to redeem themselves and to discourage them from causing any harm in the future. Generally, peace is encouraged in this scenario; that is why justice is enacted to prevent further future offenses. Even though the American justice system is not more appealing, it is necessary to consider all the social classes in the community to discourage favoritism and corruption in handling cases. To enhance justice and fairness, then the judges need to judge the cases with much integrity and sentence the offenders accordingly for their crimes (Van., 2013). The book’s main objective is to promote the peoples’ transformation by developing a sense of competencies. Also, the healing for the cause of the offenses. Through restorative justice, crime rates are minimized, and harmony in communities is enhanced; hence it is necessary to fight over the issue of crimes by adhering to justice and fairness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Berman, G., & Feinblatt, J. (2015). Good courts: The case for problem solving justice. Vol. 8. Quid Pro Books.

Calhoun, A, (2013). Introducing restorative justice: re-visioning responses to wrongdoing: restorative justice asks us to re-vision how we define wrongdoing and the processes we use to right the wrong. The prevention researcher,20(1),3-7.

Johnstone, G., & Van Ness, D. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of restorative justice. Routledge

Morrison, B. (2015). Restorative justice in education: Changing lenses on education’s three Rs. Restorative Justice, 3(3),445-452.

Zehr, H. (2013). Evaluation and restorative justice principles. New directions in restorative justice: Issues, practice, evaluation, 296-303.