Restorative Justice Signposts

I was given a bookmark with a list of what Harry Mika and Howard Zehr call the Restorative Justice Signposts. They are essential in understanding what restorative justice is, and what it is not...

We are working toward restorative justice when we...

• focus on the harms of wrongdoing more than the rules that have been broken,
• show equal concern and commitment to victims and offenders, involving both in the process of justice,
• work toward the restoration of victims, empowering them and responding to their needs as they see them,
• support offenders while encouraging them to understand, accept and carry out their obligations,
• recognize that while obligations may be difficult for offenders, they should not be intended as harms and they must be achievable,
• provide opportunities for dialogue, direct or indirect, between victims and offenders if appropriate,
• involve and empower the affected community through the justice process, and increase its capacity to recognize and respond to community bases of crime,
• encourage collaboration and reintegration rather than coercion and isolation,
• give attention to the unintended consequences of our actions and programs,
• show respect to all parties including victims, offenders and justice colleagues.

Crime wounds... Justice heals