WHAT IS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE?

Using a clear format with principles and concepts illustrated, PICTURING RESTORATIVE JUSTICE: A Vision of the World We Want to Live In quickly helps the reader become familiar with the foundations of restorative justice and how it can serve both individuals and communities.

In restorative justice systems, people come together as equals, most often in circles (some people call restorative justice ‘circle justice’) to respond to the aftermath of harm and painful conflict, and to make a plan for the future that better meets the needs of all. In simple yet profound ways restorative justice differs from retributive justice. Retributive justice is based on punishment. Most of our responses to
harm and painful conflict are retributive.

This small book is focused on images because of their remarkable power to penetrate the heart. Restorative justice is in a very real way a story about the human heart, and our great need to remain connected to each other. One very accurate way to measure our individual well-being is to look at the strength of our ties to others. Restorative justice is a tool for well-being because it works to connect and re-connect people after conflict and harm. It gets to the ‘heart’ of conflict and allows people to move from that heart to re-build their relationships.

Restorative justice is spreading throughout the world along with the great democracy movements, offering hope in the face of formerly intractable conflicts.

“We’re not talking about the scales of justice. We are talking about a situation where justice has occurred which has made a new thing come to pass. A thing which leaves people not lower, not just equal, but full and overflowing so they can go out and spread justice to others around them.”
-Dave Worth