Tagged: Center for Restorative Justice Practices

Our justice system is sometimes referred to as “retributive justice,” meaning when someone commits a crime, the response is to punish them. Now imagine a system where the focus is on healing, rather than punishment, one that allows the victim of a crime to experience a legal process that is interactive and engaging. That is the mission of restorative justice.

Restorative justice is a theory of justice that emphasizes healing rather than punishing. The idea is to repair the harm for everyone involved: the victims, the offenders, and the community. The Campbell University School of Law in Raleigh plays host to the third annual National Conference on Restorative Justice June 8-10 at the Sheraton Hotel in Raleigh. Host Frank Stasio talks about restorative justice with Therese Bartholomew, producer and director of “The Final Gift,” a film about her brother’s murder and her attempt to reconcile with his killer; Howard Zehr, professor of restorative justice at Eastern Mennonite University, and Amy Elliott, co-founder of the Restorative Justice Project in Durham.