Volume 18, Issue 1/2, 2009
Joyce Zavarich
Pages 4-19
Revisioning Justice
The Justice Context for Understanding and Operationalizing Restorative Justice
What is Justice? Society depends on justice for its stability and the well-being of its members. Justice is usually carried out in accordance with the established law. Justice can be grounded in societal norms, human and religious values, and/or established civil law. Generally, justice seeks to ensure fair treatment for all of humanity. This article sets forth the justice context for understanding and
operationalzing restorative justice by first explaining a variety of types of justice to lay a foundation for understanding the complexity of the concept of justice. Following the typology, a review of the concept of restorative justice, addressing its beginnings, practitioners, key concepts, principles, values, practices, and description is given. Finally, examples from my teaching experience at a maximum security prison enhance my understanding of restorative justice as restoring the humanity of us all.