Because criminal behavior has a direct impact on victims, the offender and the community, restorative justice is an alternative “peacemaking” approach to punitive punishment applied by law. Punitive punishment often perpetuates more criminal behavior on the part of the offender due to the stigma once arrested and convicted. Depending on the crime, victims may not seek the justice necessary to satisfy the effects of the crime. The popularity of restorative justice in Europe, North America and Australia as a rehabilitation process for offenders is due to the concept of placing power back in the hands of those most closely affected by criminal behavior when judicial laws do not provide the justice they require. parties need to get a conclusion. For this transitional form of justice to be effective, the community must encourage and support both the offender and the victim to address and remedy the emotional, financial, and psychological harm caused by the offender's actions. Ultimately, restorative justice has a restorative purpose that allows “all parties involved in a particular crime to come together and collectively decide how to deal with the consequences of the crime and its implications for the future.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Restorative justice is that crime violates people and relationships, not just the law (Latimer, Dowden & Muise, 2005). For punishment to fit the crime, the appropriate solution to criminal behavior is to “repair the harm caused by the wrongful act.” Restorative justice advocates prefer that the criminal justice system provide the victim, the offender, and the community with the opportunity to voluntarily confront and reach a conclusion for restoration. Essentially, the principles of the restorative justice process include: voluntariness, truth-telling and face-to-face encounters. Ultimately, the perpetrator must take responsibility for his or her actions. All parties should agree to meet in a safe place to feel comfortable and honest in discussing criminal behavior. There are five points in the criminal justice system where the offender may be invited to attend conferences, mediations or clubs. The five points are: Police (pre-indictment) Crown (post-indictment) Courts (presence) Corrections (post-sentence) Parole (pre-revocation). Recidivism decreases among offenders because the restorative justice process is fair and destigmatizes the offender, as well as allowing them the opportunity to pass normally into society. The perpetrator feels vindicated while compensating the victim and the community. A group of community members, including both victims and offenders of a racially motivated assault, come together and meet in a peace circle to openly discuss the cause and effects of the assault. (Umbreit, Vos, Coates & Lightfoot, 2005). They share the impact of the incident on the community and develop a detailed plan to work together to repair the damage caused by the attack. The community meets several times to understand diversity and promote cultural programs to begin healing the community. Community members, in collaboration with the Juvenile Probation Department, provide rehabilitation programs for juvenile offenders. Mentoring adults address accountability, giving back, and teaching to aid youth development. These scenarios show how restorative justice works. When the victim, the perpetrator and thecommunities become involved in the criminal justice system through reparation, the community begins to heal, the offender is treated fairly, and the victim gains closure. Although restorative justice is becoming very popular around the world, its future is still very uncertain. Judicial officials remain concerned about how the adoption of restorative justice in criminal corrections will affect sentencing, the quality of law, order, and justice in the United States, and allocation of government resources. The most important concern is public safety because if these restorative programs fail, a criminal is able to abuse the process for his or her own benefit without remorse. When the concepts of public safety and remediation are carefully examined, opposing concerns emerge about how to ensure that offenders do not threaten public safety during the remediation process. Some states have implemented restorative measures in their criminal justice systems to involve communities in the development of offenders. The Minnesota Department of Corrections has a full-time restorative justice planner. Vermont's Corrections Commissioner is moving methodically toward working with informal community committees to restore victims, offenders, and communities. On the other hand, some states are more concerned about public safety and have imposed more punitive measures for offenders, such as Washington State. In 1999, the state changed its correctional law based on “just deserts,” making a strategic redeployment of probation and parole officers. They are like guard dogs and their only responsibility is to observe and supervise offenders. Wisconsin is another state that has redeployed its community corrections staff, across two counties, to ensure community safety. An assessment must be conducted to determine the merit and suitability of the offender. The future of restorative justice is to eliminate the concepts of “just desert” and punishment in order to positively prevent recidivism among offenders. In return, it offers the victim and the community the chance to obtain adequate justice. In order for restorative justice to be implemented in laws and criminal proceedings, society's perception and representation must change. Public safety is often equated with more law enforcement officers, more arrests, more prisons, more prisoners, longer and more severe punitive sentences. While this view of safety is extreme, it has been shown to reduce recidivism in some societies. Public safety is threatened when an offender is in the same place and at the same time as a potential victim. Restorative justice threatens public safety because offenders on probation and in parole case management reenter society attempting to reintegrate into society. If activists are serious about restorative justice, the community must protect their neighborhoods and families. Unofficials are neighborhood monitors and guardians aimed at protecting vulnerable targets and people who have an intimate or supervisory relationship with potential offenders (whether under correctional supervision or not). These community members are responsible for ensuring public safety when a vulnerable person and an offender can potentially co-exist in the same space. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Community corrections must operate on increased capacity and collaboration with municipal and judicial officials to implement,, 11, 1-8.