What Exactly Is Restorative Justice?

Anyone connected to prison for any length of time is likely to have heard the term 'restorative justice.' Finding a definition for restorative justice, however, is often difficult. 

I recently read a book on restorative justice titled "The Little Book of Victim Offender Conferencing" (Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz) and contained in this book was an excellent definition of restorative justice: 

"Restorative justice is an approach that involves, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offense and to collectively identify and address harms, needs, and obligations, in order to heal and put things as right as possible."

This definition actually originates from author Howard Zehr in his book "The Little Book of Restorative Justice.'
Having a succinct definition like this does not answer every question about what restorative justice is, but it gives a starting point for discussion. 

Restorative justice practices are not routinely adopted by the court systems in Michigan, or most other states for that matter, but whether initiated by the victim or offender, these practices can have a beneficial and healing effect for both the victim of a crime and the offender. In future posts I will discuss some of the practical steps of restorative justice and why both victims and offenders may benefit from pursuing these steps.