“Restorative justice, bridle for human passions.”

Source: (1997) Master of Criminal Justice thesis, University of New Mexico.

In the 1990s, Vermont’s Department of Corrections faced overcrowded facilities, rising costs, public apathy, and programs that seemed ineffective. Vermont responded by launching an initiative to recast its criminal justice system in terms of restorative justice principles and practices. In this thesis, Lynch examines that initiative. He begins with an introduction to the situation in Vermont and the steps outlined by Vermont to refashion its system, with emphasis on a reparative services track rooted in restorative justice. The next section of the study consists of a literature review concerning restorative justice, and a sketch of relevant aspects of Vermont’s state constitution. Then Lynch describes the research methods used in his study. In the final sections of the thesis, he details the operations of the Vermont Reparative Probation Program, with field observations based on his survey and interviews with a variety of individuals connected with the program. To support his analysis and conclusions, Lynch provides statistical tables from his survey and interviews.