Restorative justice and offender screening

✍ Scribed by Lois Presser; Christopher T Lowenkamp

• Book ID: 104269791
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 54 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0047-2352
• DOI: 10.1016/s0047-2352(99)00005-7

✦ Synopsis

A principal goal of restorative justice programs is to right the wrongs done to crime victims. Dialogue is the recommended mechanism to begin the process of righting wrongs, though it also involves risk of emotional trauma to victims. Offenders deficient in particular social, cognitive, and psychological characteristics are those who might interfere with victim healing. Current methods for screening offenders for restorative justice are generally inattentive to offender traits, and methods used by correctional treatment programs are driven by risk of offender recidivism, which is not the focus of restorative justice. This article argues for a victim-centered offender screening tool.