The idea of updating the current justice system so that it could incorporate the elements of correction can be viewed as rather reasonable; however, when it comes to the execution of the specified concept, the latter may be distorted significantly, thus, providing criminals a way to dodge the appropriate punishment, instead (Antonie 14). As the case of Bill’s murder shows, a positive past record of a criminal does not necessarily guarantee that the latter is going to reform. Nevertheless, the specified concept of restorative justice should be promoted further in the contemporary legal system, as it will allow for both altering the behavioral patterns of a culprit and creating the environment, in which the rates of crime may be brought down.
The system of restorative justice is not perfect, though, and, therefore, may fail to restore the basic principles of humanity in the lives of criminals. When carried out in an improper manner and failing to address the issues lying at the core of one’s destructive behavior, the specified system is highly likely to provide offenders with a way to avoid the responsibility of the crimes that they committed (Crawford & Newburn 185). As the case study in question shows, some of the arguments that the witnesses and the criminal’s relatives provide are rather dubious in terms of the possibility for his further correction. Particularly, the fact that the restorative justice principle may fail to work for teenage criminals due to the language issue deserves to be brought up. According to a recent study, the inability of mentors to appeal to the offender with the help of the corresponding language will result in the further aggravation of their state (Snow 18). The fact that Bill, i.e., the person, who has obviously committed the crime, denies his fault can be viewed as an example of him failing to prove that he is ready to reform. Hence, the efficacy of restorative justice in the case in point is questioned.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the specified type of justice restores the values of the offenders primarily, therefore, giving them a chance to redeem themselves. Thus, it can be assumed that the approach in question may fail to work in the cases, where the offenders had no basic moral values to begin with (Pavlich 32). While in Bill’s case, there is still a glimpse of hope, seeing that he was exposed to certain positive factors and moral values, the instances, which feature a complete lack of moral upbringing, can be considered as incompatible with the idea of restorative justice (Cerruto, Hayes, and McGee 131).
Seeing that the restorative justice helps alter the very moral fabric of the society, it can be assumed that the basic values of criminals can be restored with the help thereof. In other words, restorative justice helps both criminals and victims heal, therefore, leading both to the realization of the fact that they can integrate back into the society. One might argue that restorative justice may need the introduction of other elements, such as a theoretical foundation for accessing young criminals, so that it could work properly (Walgrave 68). However, when carried out in an appropriate manner and addressing the core problems that have led to committing a particular crime, the specified tool can and should be used as the means of correcting instead of aggravating the circumstances and leading to the reinforcement of criminal moods among a certain tier of the U.S. population.
References
Antonie, Dana. M. “Restorative Justice and Its Operation Through the Referral Order: An Analysis of its Effects on Young Offenders.” Revista de Asistenta Sociala 3.1 (2012): 25-41. Print.
Cerruto, Michael, Hennessy Hayes, and Tara R. McGee. Explaining Continuity and Change in Offending Behaviour After a Restorative Justice Conference. Current Issues in Criminal Justice 23.2 (2011): 127-143. Print.
Crawford, Adam, and Tim Newburn. Youth Offending Restorative Justice. New York City, New York: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Pavlich, George. Governing Paradoxes of Restorative Justice. New York City, New York: Routledge, 2014. Print.
Snow, Pamela. Restorative justice conferencing, oral language competence, and young offenders: Are these high-risk conversations? Prevention Researcher 20.1 (2013): 18-20. Print.
Walgrave, Lode. Restorative Justice, Self-Interest Responsible Citizenship. New York City, New York: Routledge, 2013. Print.