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Gregory Dickson wrote:
I have been wading through some of the
restorative justice stuff you have been sending out, and it appears to
come down to this: crime makes people feel bad, the current criminal
justice system makes people feel bad, so we need Restorative Justice to
make people feel good.
I don't believe it is possible or appropriate to simplify the
principles of restorative justice into a sound bite such as criminal
justice makes people feel bad; Restorative justice makes people feel good.
Restorative justice is a comprehensive answer to the complex problem of a
criminal (retibutive)justice system which has been in a state of crisis
for a very long time (huge budgets and crowded prisons are only symptons
of the problem within our justice system). Restorative justice calls for
everyone, not just criminal justice agencies and the courts to transform
the way they respond to crime and conflict. One of the amazing things
about this paradigm is that it it is used as the first option in crime and
conflict the budgetary savings could be significant (as the Jim Consedine
artcile documented that juvenile detention centers in New Zealand are
closing because their is no need for them. Certain communities in the USA
now accept the overflow of juvenile offenders in their facilities because
they no longer have the flow of local youth). Resting at the core of
resorative justice is healing the harm of crime for victims, offenders and
the community.
Gregory writes:
Where do these various values you are
promoting come from?
The values of restorative justice date back to the way crime and
conflict was addressed in the community prior to the era of William the
Conqueor. The practice of restorative justice dates back centuries with
Indengenious cultures around the world (including Native American and
First Nation Peoples here in North America). Restorative justice was
practiced and taught in the Biblical era. The values of restorative
justice can be found in most of the major religions and traditions of the
world including: Native American practices; Buddhism; Chinese Culture;
Christianity; Hinduism; Islam; Judahism and Sikhism.
Tony
Cordially,
Gregory C. Dickison Lawyer & Counselor at Law Post Office Box 8846 312 South Main Street Moscow, Idaho 83843 (208) 882-4009 |
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