COMMUNITIES, VICTIMS AND OFFENDERS PARTNER IN COMMUNITY JUSTICE

It’s time for a change! The traditional criminal and juvenile justice policies and practices have often been unable to attain a feeling of safety and have alienated and ignored citizens and victims far too long.

The American Probation and Parole Association’s (APPA) new position statement on community justice endorses and supports community justice as a practice that will develop partnerships among the community and victims with the justice system to strive for community safety and well being. The community is the nexus of community justice and is the preferred source of problem solving. Under a community justice model, crime is confronted by preventing and addressing criminal activities and behavior. Community justice works to hold offenders accountable for the harm they cause to victims and the community.

The justice system’s efforts will benefit the community by:

• striving to repair the harm caused to victims and communities;
• working to prevent crime and its harmful effects;
• addressing problems rather than merely processing cases;
• promoting community protection through proactive, problem-solving community partnerships and work practices, plus interventions aimed at changing criminal behavior.

Community justice practices seek to transform the justice system to one that is inclusive and works in partnership with the community in order to have an impact on the community environment. A complementary practice, restorative justice, promotes reparation of all parties harmed by criminal acts. The desired results of these two practices are peaceful and just relationships among individual victims, offenders and their communities.

Link to APPA’s new Community Justice Position Statement.