a) how do we put a “face†on the victim? Oftentimes large corporations do not want to be involved in any meeting. Restorative Justice processes work best when we meet each other. It is much harder for a person to take responsibility for their actions when they can’t see who was impacted by them. In one case, a company designated a representative to be the face of the company. This representative was able to articulate the harm that was done to the company, both the hard impacts (money that was lost) and the softer impacts (level of trust between employees and employer, to name one). It helped the offender understand more clearly the implication of his actions.
b) the large/small mentality. I frequently hear people articulate a position that minimizes the impact of their actions on a large business. There is a disbelief that the “small†harm caused is even felt by a large organization. The comparison I think of is what happens when a mouse pokes an elephant. That doesn’t mean that society should allow large organizations to be misused by individuals. It does mean that we need to work hard to find ways to articulate the harm caused in terms that people can understand.
Your donation helps Prison Fellowship International repair the harm caused by crime by emphasizing accountability, forgiveness, and making amends for prisoners and those affected by their actions. When victims, offenders, and community members meet to decide how to do that, the results are transformational.
Donate Now