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Why are people who have committed a crime interested in restorative justice?
We have heard the following reasons from incarcerated men and women…
Restorative justice connects with what is in their hearts about their crime and what they would like to do to make amends.
They believe that it is part of the human drive to want to make things right and to build peace.
They know things will be better if the "problem is solved."
They want to understand the impact of their crime and to hear what victims think and feel following the crime, including what they think and feel towards the offender.
They want to promote the idea of responsibility and have opportunities to be responsible.
They want to strive for a personal greater good and for personal growth.
Restorative justice provides a vision for a different way of doing things in one's personal life. Sometimes one needs to "step away" from an interaction (avoid violence) and sometimes you need to "step toward" an interaction (build peace).
They want to make amends directly to the person who they hurt.
They want to talk about what they did and why.
They want to express remorse and share how they feel about the crime.
It provides them a forum to explore self-forgiveness, forgiveness from others and reconciliation.
It can stop hatred, anger and retribution.
(October, 2002)