Question

Restorative justice is a new concept in the South African legal landscape.

Answer 1

Restorative justice is defined as addressing the hurts and needs of both victims and offenders in such a way that both parties involved are healed.

Restorative justice contains 3 principles.
1) Crime is seen as something that causes injuries not only to the victims but also to the offenders and their communities. The criminal justice process should seek the healing of breaches, the redressing of imbalances and the restoration of broken relationships.
2) Government, victims, offenders, and their communities must actively be involved in the process of having criminal justice from the onset towards its maximum extent possible.
3) Promoting justice is not only the responsibility of the government, it is also the responsibility of the community. Government is responsible for preserving order while the community is responsible for establishing peace.