Isabella Banks
Wesleyan University
Project
Making Crime Personal: Restorative Alternatives to Criminal Justice
New Zealand, Australia, England, South Africa
Restorative justice practices, such as victim-offender mediation, family group conferencing, programs for juvenile offenders, and community policing, emerged to give victims and their surrounding communities greater agency than traditional criminal procedure provides to resolve conflict and address its consequences. By traveling to countries where restorative justice has had success, acting as a participant-observer in these practices, and interviewing the individuals involved, I will evaluate the capacity of restorative alternatives to heal those affected by crime and reduce recidivism within each cultural context. In doing so, I hope to come closer to envisioning a perfect system of justice.