The difference between retributive justice and restorative justice is a matter of dealing not just with broken laws, but with the reparation of broken relationships. Love and mercy are extended both to those who break the covenant relationship and those who are harmed by that brokenness. Restorative justice principles can, perhaps, be best understood by comparing the questions posed by retributive approaches. The principles of restorative justice can be further incorporated into the current criminal justice system in a variety of ways and at all levels. For example, prosecutors can fund victim advocates in their offices to ensure that each victim receives the attention necessary for meeting their needs.
Judges can choose to hear from each victim before sentencing offenders.
Corrections departments can focus more attention on programs that work to bring offenders to an understanding of their responsibility for their actions, and to help them find ways to respond to and repair, if possible, the damage they have done to their victims and to society. Legislators can develop laws and fund programs sympathetic to the goals of restorative justice. The very nature of the system will be transformed by a commitment to repair the damage caused by crime. Individuals in the community, likewise, share responsibility for upholding restorative justice principles through education and advocacy, and through support to victims of crime and to offenders seeking to repair the harm they have done. We can establish support groups for victims and their families for healing and to help create a climate that returns a person back to a sense of safety and well-being.