Myth 4: Restorative Justice is not suitable for all cases, it is only appropriate for minor offences.
Fact: Restorative Justice (RJ) has proven to be very appropriate for capital offences as it has been for minor offences. For minor offences, RJ has provided alternativs to custodian sentences and for capital offences, it has be used in conjunction with the mainstream Justice system to achieve great results.
Myth 3: Restorative justice requires forgiveness and becoming friends with the offender.
Fact: The victim in a restorative program is not under any pressure or compulsion to forgive or reconcile with the offender. RJ simple engineers the process that helps the victim get answers to their toughest questions.
Myth 2: Restorative justice is a get out of jail free card for the offender.
Fact: Restorative Justice (RJ) advocates for a healthy complement to and in certain cases of minor offences, an alternative to retributive justice. RJ does not do away with punishment, but advocates for restitution and repair which are punishments away from imprisonment in certain cases.
From the beginning of time, man has always needed laws to govern his activities. For peace to reign and for these laws to be enforced, a justice system is needed. Not only a justice system but an efficient one that seeks to address the needs of people and one such system is ‘Restorative Justice’.
This article provides information about who a mediator is, and went further to explore an aspect of Restorative Justice called the victim-offender mediation. It is believed that every correctional officer should have mediation skills.