Restorative Community Justice in the United States: A New Paradigm

A notable trend in the United States has been an increasing focus on offender accountability and the empowerment of crime victims. The emergence of restorative/community justice provides a framework within which both objectives can be accomplished. This paper presents a theoretical discussion of restorative/community justice and then describes the program elements of this approach to conflict resolution. Examples of specific program initiatives are presented. The discussion then considers the legislative changes that are required at the state and local level to facilitate the development and implementation of restorative/community justice programs.