Restorative Justice: Recidivism Reduction and Implementation

Abstract

This paper will explore different methods of restorative justice in an attempt to determine which of these is the most effective at reducing recidivism. The restorative practices that will be explored in this paper are restitution, community service, and victim-offender mediation. This paper concludes that victim-offender mediation is most effective at reducing recidivism rates. The final section of this paper will explore the potential for and obstacles to implementing restorative practices in the United States and concludes that restorative practices could be integrated into the judicial system in the US, but it would be challenging.