Annotated bibliography

Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Topic: Restorative justice versus retributive justice
Thesis statement: The restorative justice is encompasses forgiving and emphasizes on healing for the victim, the offender and the society unlike retributive justice which punishes an offender.
Annotated Bibliography
Tullis, Paul. “Can Forgiveness Play a Role in Criminal Justice?” The New York Times Magazine 4th Jan. 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2017. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/magazine/can-forgiveness-play-a-role-in-criminal-justice.html?pagewanted=all>This is a newspaper article written by Paul Tullis about Conor Mcbride and how he had killed his fiancée Ann Margaret Grosmaire and how he had immediately turned himself in. The Grosmaires are keen on following the restorative justice, and they introduce the McBrides to a restorative attorney. In the end, the Grossmaires forgive Conor and Conor accept the mistake he did. He is remorseful for what he after seeing the gravity of pain in his fiancée’s parents. The restorative mechanism helped the Grosmaires to forgive Conor for their sake and not Connors. Forgiveness was their mode of self-preservation and letting go of what happened although they did not forget their daughter. A similar effect was felt by Conor who served a 20 years term not only in the reduction of this period but also by accepting responsibility for his action and not being condemned. He was not absolved of his crime, but the feelings of hatred and abandonment by the Grosmaires were removed.

The additional duties imposed by the program self-motivate and rehabilitate the participants. In this manner, it ensures that they will not do such an act again. The therapeutic method is preferable as it attains all the attributes expected: it rehabilitates the offender, absolves the victims/family and punishes the offender willingly.
Restorative justice is the antidote viable to all the ills that accompany incarceration. Once an offender is jailed, he develops feelings of rejection and is not even given a chance to explain his actions. The retributive or judicial system is punitive. It does not serve the victims interests, and most questions may be left unanswered. The revenge aspects owing to the horrific abuses in jails might escalate up to when an offender is released back to the society. The restorative justice managed to reduce recidivism which is a rare aspect of the judicial system. It, therefore, points out the fact that corrective system achieves the objectives of justice and rehabilitation. The system, however, has inherent risks as the offenders may fake to have been rehabilitated and still repeat a similar crime. A beneficial consequence of the system is that it heals the victims and their families through interactions and feelings of togetherness.
The restorative system has its flaws although effective and efficient. For a start, the senses of justice challenging to define and the abstract senses are bothered when one hears of a reduced term for an offender. They may even take it upon themselves to seek justice for the actions they deem have been lightly treated. Restorative justice cost raised in Breivik’s case is the of imprisoning offenders who are significantly reduced under this system. The reduction in costs is achieved by the reduction in recidivism and reduction in the crime rates. RJ does not however exempt people from the consequences of their actions and choices; it realizes that the offenders should be held accountable. By this accountability, the offenders are given time alone to reflect on how they will interact with others in the prevention of further harm and conflicts.
Fisher’s concern as raised on Breivik’s case about cost is not a universal issue and does not apply under Conor’s scenario. The Norwegian system of justice (restorative) is different from the US system of justice (retributive) although an exception was made for Conor. Breivik’s room in jail had all the necessary amenities like television set and the system was set only to separate him from the society. The US system is pretty different as it endeavors to punish Conor for the mistake he committed. The facilities are thus different and cost does not arise in the US as in Norway.