Restorative Justice: What's in it for Judiciary

1. Using restorative justice principles as a model for the future, victims and community will be more directly involved in the judicial process.
2. A number of studies of restorative practices (restitution, mediation, family group conferences, victim impact panels) indicate that recidivism decreases.
3. Giving victims choices at all stages returns a sense of control to them, and decreases fear. They (and offenders) rate RJ approaches as fairer than the criminal justice process, and report greater satisfaction.
4. In some research studies (at least one county in N. Carolina) a reduction in court caseload can be measured when victim offender mediation is offered. (CAUTION: care should be taken to insure several points of referral exist, so most or all eligible cases are referred. Often, this is not so.)
5. More options generally will enhance the plea negotiation process, thereby keeping the case out of court.
6. The politically powerful victim movement can be allies for positive system change.
7. All justice professionals have some responsibility to improve the system, and RJ offers a common umbrella under which many disciplines and the community can work together.
8. Restitution agreements are reached and met more fully with RJ approaches.