Is it Restorative?

The Five BIG Questions

ALL processes, programs, and/or activities can be restorative if they are valued based, stakeholder focused and are grounded in the three goals of community protection, competency development and accountability. To help with evaluating if an intervention is consistent with Balanced and Restorative Justice, ask the following five questions:

1.     Does the process, program or activity show equal concern for victims, offenders and community?

2.     Does the process, program or activity encourage offender accountability to repair the harm caused to the victim, community, and family and focus on the repair rather than on punishment?

3.     Does the process, program or activity provide opportunities for dialogue, direct and or indirect between the stakeholders?

4.     Does the process, program or activity encourage collaboration, power-sharing and re-integration rather than isolation or silo building?

5.     Does the process, program or activity involve and empower the affected community to increase its capacity to recognize and respond to harm and crime for all community members?

NOTE:  The phrase "Balanced and Restorative Justice" above is descriptive of one of many initiatives that arose out of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within the U.S. Department of Justice.  The BARJ Project was established in 1985 and thirteen years later was identified as an effective model by OJJDP.  The Project began coordinating a special emphasis, states initiative of which California became a member in 2000.