The question “What are the needs?” reminds us of Catholic teaching on Solidarity.

We are one human family and are called to be our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers. Because we are deeply interconnected in a web of relationships, harm has rippling effects.

Restorative justice sees people neither as victims in need of pity nor as offenders deserving of punishment, but rather as people whose lives have intersected through harmful behavior and whose needs (physical, material, emotional, and spiritual) must be met.

This is why family members, support people, and community members are invited to be part of restorative dialogues.

Beyond particular instances of harm, practices like circle process create opportunities to slow down, share deeply, and hear one another’s stories, honoring our common dignity.

Identifying the Type of Approach

Amid national conversations on criminal justice, one approach to restorative justice is to apply processes within the constructs of the existing criminal legal system. Others contend that because of widespread systemic racism, this system must be fundamentally transformed or abolished. 

Restorative justice seeks to reduce reliance on retributive responses to crime. Each ministry is invited to discern whether/how to work within, outside, or alongside existing systems to influence change and accomplish their goal.