Beyond Community Policing: Community Justice

• NCJ Number: 165529
• Author(s): T Quinn
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 4 pages
• Grant Number(s): 95-IJ-CX-0016
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Issue Overview

Annotation

This paper profiles the concept of "community justice" as a reflection of the concepts of community policing, in which victims and the community become involved in implementing justice when crimes have been committed.

Abstract

Community justice differs from the traditional model of justice regarding both the process and the desired outcome. The process of community justice emphasizes the full involvement of the key parties (victim and offender) and an understanding of the underlying issues and effects of the crime. This addresses the history of the victim-offender conflict that is sometimes evident and relevant but is excluded from official court proceedings as irrelevant to a specific charge. Community justice also allows the victim to ask questions and receive answers from the offender, to express outrage, and to explain the impact of the crime to the offender, as well as work out the details of the restitution agreement. Further, the victim's fear of re- victimization is reduced when a face-to-face dialog is held with the offender. Community justice would also connect the offender and the sanction to the crime, as it requires the criminal to right the wrong. For nonviolent offenders, relevant community service is a way to make amends. Community policing advocates can help to achieve the ideal of community justice by enjoining other agencies to involve victims and the community in the endeavor to resolve conflicts between those who commit crimes and those who are victimized by them.