The Fiscal Crisis and Restorative Justice

Source: (2003) Beyond Just Us. A newsletter published by the Forum on Restorative Community Justice. Spring/Summer 2003. Pp. 1-2.

According to Thomas Quinn, a national fiscal crisis threatens budgets in public agencies. In the sphere of law and order, for example, prison expenditures are rising enormously, the criminal justice system is under considerable stress from caseloads, and homeland security receives more and more attention and resources. In the face of all of this, many restorative justice advocates worry that the positive momentum of recent years will slow, stop, or reverse as funds become more scarce, with increasing competition for smaller amounts of available funds. Quinn therefore urges policy makers to consider the resource implications of existing laws and policies in order to focus on cost effective interventions. Restorative community justice, argues Quinn, citing examples from programs in several states, is a better way in terms of outcomes and in terms of costs.