Support restorative justice

In our country, we treat children in the exact same manner we would as if they were adults. But what we don’t consider is how perceptive to change children are, and how a child’s actions are almost always a reaction to how they are raised. It is without a doubt that the current punitive criminal justice system is not working. Recidivism rates are higher, and we have more youth locked up than any other country in the world, despite only holding 5 percent of the world’s population.

A new innovative approach to justice that is being considered in prisons, and even schools, is restorative justice. Not only is it keeping kids out of the system, it is saving taxpayer’s money and changing the way the community looks at criminals. The argument here is that restorative justice should be introduced into the juvenile justice system and added in as a supplement for those who qualify for it. It doesn’t solve everyone’s problems, nor does everyone get to use it, but today’s justice system isn’t working.

Lyndie Root

Spokane