{"id":1473,"date":"2020-02-14T00:55:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T00:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jcpa.wpengine.com\/?p=1473"},"modified":"2025-04-11T15:45:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T15:45:12","slug":"restorative-and-rehabilitative-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jewishpublicaffairs.org\/press-release\/restorative-and-rehabilitative-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Restorative and Rehabilitative Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adopted by the 2020 JCPA Delegates Assembly
<\/em>Click here for the PDF version.<\/a><\/p>\n

Beginning in the 1970s with the \u201cWar on Drugs\u201d and harsh mandatory minimums, the U.S. prison population exploded\u2014exacerbated by the 1994 Crime Bill\u2014disproportionately harming poor people and people of color. The pervasiveness of mass incarceration has helped shed light on the dehumanizing conditions of imprisonment and the inequities present throughout our justice system. Mass incarceration, and the criminal justice system more broadly, is now a major issue confronting our country.<\/p>\n

And yet, prisons do not appear anywhere in the Torah as a form of punishment, or even as a deterrent. In Deuteronomy 25:2-3, we are taught that \u201cIf the wicked one is to be flogged, the magistrate shall have him lie down and be given lashes in his presence, by count, as his guilt warrants. He may be given up to forty lashes, but not more, lest being flogged further, to excess, your brother be degraded before your eyes.\u201d Not only is punishment limited, but as Rabbi Chananya ben Gamliel said, \u201cfrom the time that he is flogged, the text calls him \u2018your brother,\u2019 as it says, \u2018your brother be degraded.\u2019\u201d (Sifrei Devarim 286, (c. 3rd century)) However, our criminal justice system has become a mechanism for punishment and retribution, dehumanizing (or \u201cdegrading\u201d) all who encounter it with little regard for restoration or rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Punishment lasts long after someone has \u201cserved their time.\u201d Some government assistance (e.g., housing and food stamps) are completely unavailable to those who have been incarcerated. Other barriers block entry to gainful employment or education programs. Formerly incarcerated persons are barred from voting in some states, while in others the right to vote is restricted. In short, resuming any semblance of a \u201cnormal\u201d life is nearly impossible. This is far from treating the person as a \u201cbrother\u201d or \u201csister,\u201d as one who is not degraded.<\/p>\n

The concept of restorative justice gained traction in the truth and reconciliation commissions of the 1970s as a means for perpetrators and victims to publicly acknowledge harm done, facilitate a process of healing for victims (and offenders), and repair communities after conflict and violations of human rights. In many modern contexts, restorative justice is often broadly defined as a process that 1) involves those who have committed harm and those who have been harmed, 2) collectively seeks accountability from the accused, and 3) protects victim safety and supports victim autonomy.<\/p>\n

Justice reform advocates have adopted this term while expanding its scope, understanding that the need for \u201crestoration\u201d and healing often extends beyond victim and perpetrator to their families and communities. In this sense, restorative justice also means policies and practices that emphasize rehabilitation of those who commit crimes and reparation of the harm done to victims, perpetrators, and communities as a result of crime and the justice system itself.\u00b9 In all its forms, use of the term \u201crestoration\u201d is a recognition that those who commit crimes, victims, families of both, and communities are all in need of \u201crestoration\u201d and healing. Studies show that the use of restorative justice mechanisms reduces recidivism, increases victim satisfaction with the justice process, and can even reduce victims\u2019 post-traumatic stress.\u00b2<\/p>\n

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs believes that:<\/p>\n