Restorative justice is a crime reduction strategy that has recently been introduced in various nations in order to rehabilitate criminals and help victims cope. Are restorative justice programs equally effective for all types of crime? Few existing studies consider the type of crime when evaluating the success of restorative justice programs. Here, I perform content analysis of existing research to determine the extent to which the success of the programs depends on the types of crimes being addressed. The analysis reveals that restorative justice is a largely successful strategy, especially for violent crimes. Communicating face-to-face with victims allows offenders to see and acknowledge the damage of their crimes. Furthermore, it allows the victims to express how they have been affected, which is an effective coping strategy. Studies have also shown that restorative justice can be especially effective in religious contexts where forgiveness is a central theme. Because restorative justice has generally been successful for all types of crime, this study’s findings suggest that future research on the effectiveness of restorative justice programs should focus on the cultural contexts in which interventions occur.

Restorative Justice