The Paintball Case

The paintball case is a perfect example of how restorative justice can be used in society to help both the victim and the offender. If a similar incident were to have happened in my community, I believe that a different outcome would have resulted. I believe that restorative justice would not have been used in this sense, and the emotional healing that happened here would not have been an outcome. Justin would have been tried alone, and he most likely would have received jail time and a lengthy sentence of probation. He would also have been required to pay any outstanding medical bills that Jorel’s insurance company did not pay. The emotional healing that was possible from the group conference would have never happened in my community because the victim and the offender would not have been able to have a conference.

The values that would prevail in my community would not be ones of sympathy, empathy, or learning but ones of conviction, firmness, and justice. Both the victim and the offender needed to be emotionally healed. Sometimes, the model of restorative justice used in this specific case is more a punishment for the offender and it helps prevent them from reoffending. This is because of the extreme emotional suffering that is talked about and the healing that prevails concluding the conference.

One of the core values that is exemplified in this case is responding to the victim’s needs. The current criminal justice system focuses solely on the offender, but the restorative justice model focuses more on the inherent needs of those affected by the crimes (Wallace, 2009, P. 152). As stated in the article, Justin said, “I never wanted to hurt anybody” and even offered to donate part of his eye to help. Jorel wanted to meet w...

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...d lead to citizens uprising in fighting for their rights.

There are many parts of this concept that are flawless and have huge potential to do great things within the criminal justice system. There are some things that could also pose huge problems. As a community, we need to come together and find a way to implement this process into our system, and help the victims heal from the emotional strain placed upon them in a crime. By trial and error, this system can be refined to meet the needs of everyone, and be used in certain situations around the country.

Word Count: 1,271

Works Cited:

Cavanagh, T. (1998). The paintball case: A restorative justice case study. In T. Cavanagh (Ed.), Fort Collins, CO: Tom Cavanagh- Restorative Justice Inc.

Wallace, B. N. (2009). You decide! Current debates in criminal justice. (p. 152) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.