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Overcoming Injustice

Having justice served is empowering.  

There are two models of justice that are most often spoken of:

1. restorative and
2. retributive justice

The retributive justice model is centered around the idea of making the offender suffer a penalty for the crime they commit.

This might range from a ticket to time in prison to being sentenced to death.

This type of justice is most often played-out in the courts with lawyers representing their clients’ interests.

The problems with this model include:

• Community psyche is not fully repaired;
• Victim needs for healing, apology, and closure might not be met;
• A false-positive conviction can lead to innocent people being unduly punished;
• Court hearings can be lengthy and emotionally draining;
• Lawyers can be expensive.

Whereas, the restorative model of justice is centered around other principals, such that the process maintains community harmony and balance and is less focused on only punishing the criminal but might also involve some form of apology and therefore a psychological healing too.

This type of justice can occur with other mechanisms, such as:

• Community Conflict Resolution
• Mediation
• Victim-Offender Circles
• Victim Assistance

The benefits of the restorative justice model often overcome the weaknesses of the retributive model.

Each of these styles of justice are related to different types of power relations based on how power is used and the outcomes produced.

Click here for a short description about the nature of power.