Let’s try a quick exercise. When you hear the word “Justice” – what first comes to mind? Do you think about punishment for the person that did wrong? Or do you think about healing for the person that was wronged?

For many of us, it’s automatic that when we think of justice, we equate it with punishment for the person that did wrong, because that is how our criminal system is set up and that’s what we’ve been taught. Someone commits a crime, and the usual first questions are “who committed this crime? What law was broken? How can they be punished?” And when that is the immediate response, the person that suffered at the hands of that wrongdoing is merely an afterthought. The person that gets taken away (i.e., arrested) doesn’t see the consequences of their own actions. They don’t see how that person was affected. It’s as if the harm they themselves caused never happened – they didn’t hurt anyone, they just broke a law.  

This is what Restorative Justice is deconstructing. It’s a process that centers the survivor and focuses on their healing. Someone commits a wrongdoing, and the first questions now are “who was harmed? What does this person need to heal? What can we do collectively to reduce or eliminate the possibility of this happening in the future?”  

Restorative Justice is a way of living that has been around for many centuries. It has been embedded in many parts of our daily lives- despite the lack of it in our criminal legal system. Chances are, you probably practice restorative processes in your own life already. If you are a parent, you practice it when your child does something wrong, and you take the time to explain why it’s wrong, and how it may have hurt someone else, and teach them how to apologize. If you have ever hurt someone before, you have practiced it when you’ve acknowledged and owned up to your behavior. When you took that step to apologize and promised (to yourself or others) to make a conscious effort to not do it again in the future.  

As a society, we tend to categorize and label everything around us to make navigating the world a little bit easier. The problem, however, arises when we try to categorize and label people. People are too complex and nuanced to have a single identifier. If you have ever told a lie- big or small- in your entire life … does that make you a liar? Is it part of your identity, who you are at your core?  And once that label is put on you, are you ever free of it? This is what framing justice as healing is all about- it’s healing not just for the person that was harmed, but for the person that caused the harm as well. 

Restorative Justice aims to give support and understanding, as well as grace and trust, to all participants of the process. It emphasizes taking accountability for your actions, without the threat of exile. This is why community is so important. In cases of domestic violence, for example, isolation is far too common and it becomes a tool to keep the abuse going. In restorative justice practices, the responsibility of keeping each other safe is shared amongst all community members. It’s less about respecting the law, and more about respecting each other, and bringing back humanity to those who need it most.

Kassiel Gonzalez is the Manager of the Restorative Justice Program at VIP. Kassiel’s driving values exist in building community, ensuring accessibility, and supporting restorative healing for all. With 7+ years of practice experience working mainly in immigrant and BIPOC communities, her work now continues to evolve in the restorative justice space.