October 17, 2014
Is our Justice System Really Just?: An Alternative Approach to the Traditional Punitive System
According to the NAACP today, the US constitutes 5% of the World population and has 25% of world prisoners and approximately $70 billion dollars are spent on corrections yearly. This summer, I worked with the Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast located in Belfast Maine. Restorative Justice is an alternative approach and philosophy to our traditional punitive system that focuses on the victims’ needs as well as the offender. Through high accountability and high support the offenders build the skills they need to avoid making destructive choices. In my presentation, I will focus on the benefits of Restorative Justice and the role I played as a facilitator this summer working with individuals who were diverted to the project from the court system. I will discuss the experiential learning process I went through as well as what I learned about being a part of a small nonprofit organization working to achieve social justice.
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