Outline The Benefits Of Restorative Justice

The chapter outlines the benefits of restorative justice as it applies to the offender, victim, and society. It explains what an individual who has been the victim of crime needs to move forward in life. Both the victim and offender must pursue their purpose in life as they attempt to make progress past a traumatic experience. Aristotle begins with the notion of a “good life” and what an individual has to focus on personally to achieve their true purpose in life, which is happiness. He relates happiness to flourishing which leads to a fulfilled life. To live a healthy life, we must first understand what a fulfilled life consist of; therefore we know something about the ultimate purpose of life. There is also the concepts of excellence and virtue,
The victim has to exhibit the ability to stand before an offender without fear or resentment. The victim also has to keep an open mind on the possible reasons for the offender committing the crime. On the other hand, the offender must accept all feelings directed towards them good, bad or indifferent. In this process, the victim is attempting to rationalize why they were chosen for the crime. Restorative Justice gives the offender the opportunity to repair the harm and give the victim the opportunity to hold them accountable for their actions in a controlled environment (Johnson & Robertson, 2016). Aristotle believes that virtues are traits that can be used to flourish your intended functions and to fulfill your particular purpose. One of the intended functions of humans that aids us the pursuit of human excellence is rational activity. Humans have the capability to reason, and this characteristic separates us from other living and nonliving things (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). Utilizing and expressing our rational potential in our choices or actions is the characteristic that allows humans pursue to excellence or