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. Host Frank Stasio speaks with Fred Van Liew, director for the Center of Restorative Justice Practices and a former prosecutor based in Des Moines, Iowa; Marcia Owen, the executive director of Religious Coalition for a Non-Violent Durham; and Karen Hamilton, senior director of Counseling and Student Services in Wake County Schools.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
Shawn Wen joined the staff of The State of Things in March 2012 and served as associate producer until February 2014.