A new kind of justice

“People respond to crime by saying, ‘Lock ‘em up!’” says Scott Wood, director of the Center
for Restorative Justice at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. But that approach can be disastrous. “
Guys go to prison and learn to do even more terrible things,” Wood explains. “Restorative justice
lets them accept responsibility for what they did and become a better person.”

In Longmont, restorative justice is used instead of the court system mostly for juvenile
crime. “Nine out of 10 of our offenders complete their agreement, and charges are dropped,” Title
says. Only 10% of them end up committing another crime, compared to about 70% of those who go
through the traditional criminal-justice system.

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