Dustin Owens

A Holistic Approach to Restorative Justice

Restorative justice conferencing preceded by rehabilitative programming within an indeterminate sentencing model will reduce recidivism and victim satisfaction more than punitive measures alone, rehabilitation alone, or the combination of the two. Restorative justice is a rehabilitative approach that involves “conferencing” – a process that comprises stakeholders involved in a crime focusing on repairing the damage done in a manner that promotes empathy in the offender and trauma-healing in the victim. The proposed paradigm shift from retributive/punitive approaches to restorative justice can reduce recidivism rates while fostering social cohesion within a framework that emphasizes rehabilitative and goal-oriented sentencing and the healing of victim trauma. Prevailing criminal justice philosophy must dismiss dogmatic retributive justice approaches in favor of a multidisciplinary system that prioritizes reintegration and recidivism reduction as the primary goal of sentencing. Traditional justice philosophy tends to reject restorative justice as implicitly lenient on crime; however, the method enables proactive criminological insight, provides a mechanism to address the root cause of crime, and equips reintegration efforts with tools to prevent relapse. The limited research of the efficacy of restorative justice is promising, particularly in the case of Shem-Tov’s 2024 study of 143 youthful offenders convicted of medium impact felonies such as burglary and assault . The results showed a 44% decrease in recidivism probability within the first six months of release when compared to a control group who were exposed to standard sentencing models.