“Protecting community: The public safety role in a restorative juvenile justice.”

Source: (1999) In Restorative juvenile justice: Repairing the harm of youth crime, ed. Gordon Bazemore and Lode Walgrave, 195-211. With an introduction by Gordon Bazemore and Lode Walgrave. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press.

The authors maintain that current criminal justice agencies – not grounded in restorative principles – actually exacerbate the harmful effects of crime on communities. They make communities less safe rather than more safe. In contrast, the authors posit that agencies grounded in restorative justice principles would communities more safe. The authors call this a “protective restorationâ€? model, in which juvenile justice agencies would be community-directed rather than offender-directed. The basic principles would be repairing harm, building relationships, and building community capacity. Components of this “protection restorationâ€? model include protective surveillance by police that builds community rather than exacerbates juvenile defiance and misconduct; community service and restitution programs; and structural alternatives to violence. The aim would be to foster capacity for repair and protection in communities.