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Restorative Justice Research Paper

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When a horrible act is committed, the majority is focused on how society progresses forward from such acts. But those who are most effected from these instances are individuals. Instead of fixating on reprisal for society, retribution for individuals should be priority. To benefit society the most, we must go to the root of the problem at the individual level. In order to place this concentration, there needs to be a determination of how best to help. The remedial dichotomy remains between forgiveness and hatred. Hatred in the form of vengefulness. Forgiveness involves redeeming the offender in some sort of way.
Currently, the most common retribution provided for families of homicide victims is punishment on the offenders in the form of life without parole or the death penalty. Neither does much to provide closure for the families. This method of reprisal predominately addresses the hatred for an offender that families have and assumes that the hatred may easily be relieved. Additionally, it does nothing to attempt any form of forgiveness. The method that does aim for forgiveness is restorative justice, which involves reconciliation between the family and the offender. The ultimate goal is to provide closure for families of homicide victims, but the debate still remains on …show more content…
Although forgiveness seeks to undo the deeds of the past, it doesn’t attempt to disregard the past, but it enables the future. Undoing the deeds of the past may feel like disregarding the importance of this a person and the loss of them. Forgiveness involves acknowledging humanity in someone who did an inhumane action. It’s easier to believe that that something inhuman or doesn’t understand what it means to be human could do such an inhumane action.
By humanizing this person, most people experience a conflicting type of empathy for the

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