Restorative Justice
Listen: “Apologize” by Timbaland
One of the principles of recovery is taking responsibility for any harm one may have caused another human being. It’s called “making amends” in the recovery world. Jesus called it “reconciliation” and encouraged all human beings to practice it. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught people to prioritize reconciliation above religious ritual. Jesus said if you are in a worship service and you remember someone has something against you, “Go and be reconciled to that person” (Matthew 5:23-24). In fact, Jesus consistently called upon the perpetrator and the victim to work through a process of forgiveness and restoration whenever possible—even loving and forgiving our enemies—otherwise, we live in cycles of hurt, bitterness, revenge, harm, and violence.
A few years ago I was doing some reading and came across the concept of “restorative justice.” It caught my attention, and I read some articles on the concept. One of the modern pioneers in this concept is Howard Zehr who developed his work at Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. He’s written more than two dozen books on the topic.
Zehr has sought to teach restorative justice principles to families, schools, communities, prison populations, and even cyclical violence between nations such as Israel/Palestine. Zehr has also provided a critique of our justice system in America which is often focused on “retributive justice” or punishment of criminals. Restorative justice seeks to implement a relational process of restorative mediation between victims and perpetrators in the context of their relationships, families, and communities—healing and restoration are the focus.
In his book, Changing Lenses, Howard Zehr highlights six guiding questions in the process of repairing harm:
Who has been hurt?
What are their needs?
Whose obligations are these?
What are the causes?
Who has a stake in the situation?
What is the appropriate process to involve stakeholders in an effort to address causes and put things right?
In the Twelve Step recovery process, the substance abuser and the sponsor work through the steps together, which results in making of list of people one has harmed and then seeking to make amends with those people wherever possible (except when it may cause further harm). In the Restorative Justice process, trained mediators help individuals, families, and communities work through steps of restoration between victims and perpetrators. The core values upheld in the process of restoration are—Relationship, Respect, Responsibility, Repair, and Reintegration—the 5 R’s.
Most human beings live in cycles of hurt, pain, bitterness, unforgiveness, blame, and revenge. Even when we have inflicted harm on someone else, we tend to focus on what they did wrong. We justify our wrongdoing by blaming their wrongdoing. We even try to find allies who agree with us about the other person’s wrongdoing, expanding the network of those who are harmed and offended.
Someone has to break the cycle. Either the victim or the perpetrator can open the door to the potential of restoration by valuing a process of restorative justice. Blame, resentment, and revenge never heal the wounds; it usually perpetuates ongoing harm and violence. Violence does not heal violence. Resentment does not heal a broken heart.
In one of Marin Luther King, Jr.’s most famous sermons, he said: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Forgiveness is a beautiful pathway for healing hurt and trauma. As humans, we can immerse ourselves in a contagious, healing flow of love and mercy by advocating for practices of restorative justice, making amends, and peacemaking. We are called to the ministry of reconciliation and restoration in all its healing ways (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
Shalom
©realfredherron, 2023
