Restorative justice

english

The UN Economic and Social Council defines restorative justice as ”a concept that recognizes that a crime often affects not only the futures of victims and communities, but also those of the offenders involved. It seeks to restore all of the interests of all of the parties affected by a crime, to the extent possible using the active and voluntary involvement of the offenders, the victims and the communities.” Restorative processes include a range of approaches such as mediation, conciliation, family group conferencing and sentencing circles. The aim is to reach an agreement which restores some kind of equilibrium for victims and offenders, by meeting individual and collective needs and responsibilities of the parties, and the reintegration of the victim and the offender. The agreement may include a sentence of reparation, restitution or community service. The facilitator’s role is to act in a fair and impartial manner, with the participation of the parties in a restorative process.

Source: ICPC International Report 2010, pp. 185

french: Justice restauratrice

spanish: Justicia restitutiva