Discuss the criticisms of restorative justice programs listed in the text.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An important criticism of restorative justice focuses on the definition of community.
What constitutes a community? Can the terms community and neighborhood be used
interchangeably? This idea becomes even more relevant when you seek to develop
programs where groups, that is, African Americans, have historically been
disenfranchised (Takagi & Shank, 2004). In addition, Mika and his colleagues (2004) in
their study of teams of representing victim advocates and restorative justice programs in
seven states raised concern over the efficacy of victims programs to deliver on their
intended goals/purposes. Three specific areas of concerns were advanced. First, the
use of mediation programs by their definition excludes some victims from participation
where no identified offender exists. Second, programs requiring restitution as a key
element for success may not be appropriate for all offenses, particularly personal crimes
such as domestic violence. Finally, questions arise regarding who constitutes the victim:
the state or the individual. With this, victims who have not been identified will be ignored
by the system and process because of the nature of the implementation.