NCJ Number
172689
Journal
Perspectives Volume: 20 Issue: 3 Dated: Summer 1997 Pages: 16-19
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Criminal justice professionals and others who support the philosophy of community justice need to address several crucial issues or they may risk alienating the victims and citizens whom they purport to champion.
Abstract
The National Institute of Corrections has worked to define the term "community justice" as a philosophy encompassing different emerging concepts of criminal justice that share common ideals and principles. These include restorative justice, victim services, and community policing principles. Community justice is a new way of viewing justice in that it places the community and victims at the center of justice activities and efforts. However, advocates tend to use the same marketing strategy used by the alternatives-to-incarceration movement. However, some premises and concepts do not resonate with essential stakeholders. Issues that need to be addressed include the difference between community-oriented and community-based, the inappropriate implication that punishment is bad, the incorrect assumption that forgiveness is essential, the need to have public inclusion and not just public relations, and the need to emphasize value rather than cost. Community justice also strives for collaboration and partnerships rather than competition among justice components and requires a systems perspective that includes citizens, victims, offenders and agencies in a synergy that will make it possible to confront and solve crime-related problems successfully. 1 reference