Restorative Justice
Supporting Lectures:
- Social Process
- Positive Criminology
- Punishment
A recent movement in criminology has been the development of “restorative justice.” Some restorative justice programs seek to find alternative forms of punishment, with the goal of better serving the needs of the victim, offender, and community. Often, punishments involving shame or stigma are utilized instead of incarceration.
Prepare a PowerPoint presentation of 8-10 slides that will cover the points listed below. Make use of the “notes” areas to elaborate on the brief points presented on the slide.
- How effective are policies of shaming and placing stigmas on individuals in deterring crimes?
- Critically evaluate the process of restorative justice, and identify barriers to successful implementation. What factors might hinder a restorative justice effort?
- Have any restorative justice models proven to be effective in the United States? Provide an example of a program and analyze its effectiveness.
- Relate the idea of restorative justice to the impact of attachments, such as to school and social activities.
- How can the lessons learned in this assignment be used to improve existing policies?