Answer

Restorative Justice and its Principles

Examine what is meant by the term restorative justice and detail any three of its fundamental principles

            Restorative justice refers to various practices, including restitution, apologies and acknowledgements of injury and harm. Additionally, restorative justice also refers to other efforts focused directed towards ensuring the healing of the offenders and reintegrating them into the community without with or without further punishments (Keinan & Luzon, 2019). The process of restorative justice includes a direct means of communication, normally with a person facilitating the process of the victims and offenders or representing the affected community. The focus is to ensure that a setting for fault acknowledgement by the perpetrator is acknowledged. In addition, this process focuses on ensuring that some sort of victim restitution is achieved, agreed new undertakings, and forgiveness ensured for an improved behavior. Worrall (2019) suggests that restorative justice views crime as a factor which is more than simply breaking the law. Notably, restorative justice considers crime as an element which causes harm to the people and the community (Keinan & Luzon, 2019). As a result, restorative justice considers it effective for the affected parties to meet and discuss the caused harms before setting ways of achieving resolution.

Principles of Restorative Justice

            From the definition of restorative justice, the fundamental principles of the process are evident. The first common principle is founded on the need to repair the harm caused. Notably, crime is a factor which causes damage to the affected persons or the community (Worrall, 2019). However, under restorative justice, means of restoring the caused damage through forgiveness or settlement is achieved with an aim of guaranteeing a behavioral change. The second fundamental principle of restorative justice includes facilitating an encounter. According to Keinan and Luzon (2019), for restorative justice to be achieved, the affected parties should be willing to meet with the perpetrator to make a common decision about the correct process to be followed for justice to be met. Arguably, restorative justice considers a form of encounter as the most effective way of providing a determination about how to carry out the restorative justice process (Keinan & Luzon, 2019). Transformation is the third fundamental restorative justice principle. Transformation is effective since it can result to fundamental changes in relationships, persons, and communities. Restorative justice offers transformation with a priority since it guides the offender to engage in behavioral change (Keinan & Luzon, 2019).

            Therefore, the basic principles of restorative justice provides an indication that crime results to harm and the only means of resolving this is by focusing on repairing the caused damage (Keinan & Luzon, 2019). However, this will only be effective in the events whereby the affected persons by the crime show their willingness to take part in the process of resolution. Arguably, the government has a duty of maintaining within the society to ensure that a peaceful coexistence is achieved. This factor is only possible if the fundamental principles of restorative justice are achieved (Keinan & Luzon, 2019). Evidently, implementing restorative justice programs within the justice system is an effective way for the government to achieve its responsibility (Keinan & Luzon, 2019). Notably, the system complements other efforts of the criminal justice system in preventing the outcomes of crime through restorative means. As a result, policy makers should observe the importance of restorative justice and focus on devising appropriate means of its effective inclusion in the society to address criminal events.