As I walked into the first class meeting, I had a fairly basic and generalized idea about what law and social justice meant. Throughout the semester thus far, I have come to find that the law and social justice are two extremely difficult terms to have a clear definition of. However, I have been able to grasp a more complex meaning of the terms through the discussion and course material. In the following paragraphs I will explain how my previous thoughts of law and social justice have expanded or changed. When first referring to the different three types of norms in society, it revealed that laws are seen as the strongest norm because they have codified sanctions that support them (Adams, 1/11/16). Because the fear of arrest or punishment, …show more content…
This to me is the most relevant to the definition I was able to offer about social justice. It provides us with the idea that all are treated in an equal manor and that the most important thing is the welfare of the citizens within society. Retributive justice accounts for the punishment reinforced to those who have committed a crime. This provides another integral part of the justice system and what we could consider social justice, however, I believe this only accommodates for punishment which does not seem as just as the first. Together, they can provide a fair and structured society which could be the first step towards social justice (Class discussion, 2/16). Restorative justice evaluates the violation of crimes against individuals and takes an active role in directing change. Transformative justice seeks to recognize the criminal justice system as unjust and focuses on the structure of both the individual and community when a crime is committed (Adams, 2/16). Change, in my opinion, is necessary to achieve social justice. With restorative and transformative justice there is recognition of a problem, but also a want to change this problem. Not only at an individual level, but at the community and broader levels. Not only is it important for an individual to learn from their mistakes in order to better themselves, it is important for the community to understand these mistakes in order to possibly inhabit these mistakes in later situations. From my interpretation of class notes and readings, social justice requires a combination of all types of justice in order to best provide social justice within a given society. One form of justice does not fully account for the different actions that need to be taken. I believe social justice is much more complicated than a simple definition of everyone being treated equal. It takes time and change to achieve social justice for all citizens within a
My definition of social justice in the field of education is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child and the British-Colombia School Act that state that every child has a right to a proper education (UNICEF, n.d.; School Act, RSBC 1996, c. 412). A proper education to me is based on opportunity. I believe that in order to have a proper education, children should all be entitled to equal opportunity in their learning process. Children should have equal opportunity to obtain the supports that will assist them in achieving their potential.
“Restorative justice is a process whereby parties with a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath of the offence and its implications for the future” (Munchie, 2004).
In fact, restorative justice system response to wrongdoing that emphasizes healing the wounds of victims, offenders, and communities caused or revealed by crime (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2014, p.62). The main goal here is to establish a form of boundaries when it comes to the level and extent of punishment. Non one here on earth is allowed to just display deviant criminal behavior without some form of discipline and/or punishment. Furthermore, for those whom display criminal behavior disrupts the community as well. In addition deterrence is another key factor in the goals of punishment and the efforts to make it back right. Exploring further along to where restoration of the justice system have and still is occurring in today’s
Since the beginning there has been many crimes that have had severe consequences. These crimes are crimes such as rapes, genocide, murder, and aggravated assaults (CITE). The Restorative justice system tries to help individuals that have committed some of these crimes. Some of the Restorative justice system founders are John Braithwaite, Howard Zehr, and Mark Umbret .The Restorative justice system emerged in 1970 (CITE). The Restorative justice system is a response to crime and wrongdoing that emphasizes the repairing of the harm that was created, recognizes the importance of victim, offender, and community involvement, and promote positive future behavior (CITE). Restorative justice is a response to what was considered to be an overly harsh
According to Boyd (2015), “Restorative justice could mean different things to different people and many organizations claim to be practitioners of restorative justice” (p.328). Restorative takes a different approach of understanding a problem and how to find a suitable solution. For example, it creates the idea that the court system should treat everyone the same. No one should be marginalized base on his or her race, gender, and sexual orientation. Everyone should deserve to have equal rights. According to Spielthenner (2015), Formal Justice is the “Treatment of persons is formally just if they are treated equally if they are equals and their treatment is proportionate to their inequality if they are
“Restorative justice is an approach to crime and other wrongdoings that focuses on repairing harm and encouraging responsibility and involvement of the parties impacted by the wrong.” This quote comes from a leading restorative justice scholar named Howard Zehr. The process of restorative justice necessitates a shift in responsibility for addressing crime. In a restorative justice process, the citizens who have been affected by a crime must take an active role in addressing that crime. Although law professionals may have secondary roles in facilitating the restorative justice process, it is the citizens who must take up the majority of the responsibility in healing the pains caused by crime. Restorative justice is a very broad subject and has many other topics inside of it. The main goal of the restorative justice system is to focus on the needs of the victims, the offenders, and the community, and focus
Restorative justice is defined as “using humanistic, no punitive strategies to right wrongs and restore social harmony” (Siegel, 2008, p. 189). Instead of imposing harsh penalties on offenders like long prison sentences or even the death penalty, restorative justice calls for a more rehabilitative approach, such as reconciliation and offender assistance.
Critical social justice, unlike the more mainstream social justice, looks at the inequalities present in society more critically and actively tries to change them. Though the word “critical” has many negative connotations critical social justice purpose is not to judge but to help people think about the different perspectives of an issue. Nothing happens in a vacuum and when looking at an issue critical social justice understands that a person has to comprehend the history and cultural perspectives surrounding the issue. The more critical social justice realizes that inequality is not just a hateful word here or there, but is actually is something ingrained into the structures that make up
The concept of social justice means finding justice for all genders and races that have been mistreated whether it is physical, mentally, or verbally by others. Social justice is stopping inequality within society and helping others that fall from injustice towards society. With social justice provided, it helps make the world a just, sustainable, fair place. The most effective method for a positive change is taking time and doing activities with each other to understand individual’s belief, and their identity. In addition, respecting and accepting the way an individual identify their selves can create a positive change.
Agreeing on a definition of restorative justice has proved difficult. One definition is a theory of justice that focuses mostly on repairing the harm caused by criminal behaviour. The reparation is done through a cooperative process that includes all the stakeholders. Restorative justice can also be explained as an approach of justice that aims to satisfy the needs of the victims and offenders, as well as the entire community. The most broadly accepted definition for restorative justice, however, is a process whereby all the parties that have a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve on how to deal with the aftermath. This process is largely focused around reparation, reintegration and participation of victims. That is to say, it is a victim-centred approach to criminal justice, and it perceives crime differently than the adversarial system of justice.
“Social Justice in Education” by R. W. Connell discusses the role of education in society and the implications that social justice issues have on education. Connell begins by establishing that education and social justice can be examined separately yet they are inescapably linked through the social medium of their implementation. “Education concerns schools, colleges and universities, whose business is to pass knowledge on to the next generation. Social justice is about income, employment, pensions or physical assets like housing.”(Connell, 1993) Three points validating the equal importance of social justice and the education system to people of all delineations are: 1.) in Western society public schools are key forums of social interaction and comprise some of the largest social institutions 2.) educational institutions are highly economic bodies and have become “major public assets” (Connell, 1993) 3.) teaching becomes a vehicle by which society is ultimately determined and has a great influence over society’s morality. Connell describes the meaning of justice in education as being “a question of fairness in distribution… equality.”(Connell, 1993) “Justice cannot be achieved by distributing the same… standard good to… all social classes.”(Connell, 1993) By stating this, Connell summarizes that in the attempt to achieve equality, unequal means must be employed.
As the purpose of restorative justice is to mend the very relationship between the victim, offender, and society, communities that embrace restorative justice foster an awareness on how the act has harmed others. Braithwaite (1989) notes that by rejecting only the criminal act and not the offender, restorative justice allows for a closer empathetic relationship between the offender, victims, and community. By acknowledging the intrinsic worth of the offender and their ability to contribute back to the community, restorative justice shows how all individuals are capable of being useful despite criminal acts previous. This encourages offenders to safely reintegrate into society, as they are encouraged to rejoin and find rapport with the community through their emotions and
Restorative Justice is an approach to the justice system that focuses on the needs of both the
Social Justice to me means that everyone has the same opportunity to experience life in such a way that they can have all their needs met and feel fulfilled as people. This may sound really simple, but it is actually a very complex idea that I am going to try to break apart and try to explain here. The first part is everynone. When I say everyone, I mean every person in existence. Whether they are a citizen of the United States, a refugee from Syria, or an astronaut, no longer in the atmosphere. In essence, everyone counts. Second is opportunity. Opportunity is the set of circumstances that make an outcome available and the ability to capitalize on those circumstances. Third is experiencing life. This refers to the ability to move through their life from beginning to end with the freedom and agency to make educated choices about things that affect them. The final part is having needs met and feeling fulfilled. This is probably the most difficult one to explain effectively. To illustrate this idea I look to Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs. I assert that in a socially just society everyone should have their needs met starting with the most basic (the ones on the bottom) to the most
The Importance of Justice in Society One component of the definition of justice is the final outcome of the process of the law, whereby justice is distributed by the State. According to this definition, justice is the mechanical process of the structure of law – set in place and agreed to by the people of the State. Another definition is concerned with the value inherent in ‘just’ behavior. One distinction between these two definitions is the difference between an individual viewpoint and the larger view of the society. Either view incorporates the concept of moral judgment; ‘good’ as opposed to ‘bad’.