Introduction: Restorative justice is the idea that the harm caused by a crime can be repaired (Wallis, 2007) and that the victim and the community can be returned to the state they were in precedence, rather than resorting to punishing the offender (Liebmann, 2007). Currently, the criminal justice system is based on retributive justice rather than restorative justice; it is here that the transgressor receives a punishment proportional to the crime committed (Milovanovic, 2007) and is given back what he gave to the victim: damage (Koneke, 2011). Restorative justice has been seen as a potentially transformative social practice that could end the need for harsh criminal punishment and incarceration (Menkel-Meadow, 2007). This could completely change the public debate on crime and justice because the idea behind crime and justice is starting to move further and further away from the traditional, retributive system that we are so used to, and towards a more liberal and restorative justice system that focuses on fixing problems. damage caused by the perpetrator of the crime. Restorative Justice: Restorative justice can be seen as a very beneficial thing because of the good it does to the community. It is believed that ordinary people directly affected by the crime should take an active part in deciding what should happen after the crime (Zernova, 2007) because this allows victims to meet the perpetrator and discuss what happened. This therefore requires that the perpetrator be held accountable for the harm they have caused and that their responsibility involves understanding and acknowledging the harm and taking steps to make things right (Zehr, 1990). Williams (2004) further argues that restorative justice is intended to represent the ideal that offenders cast...... middle of paper... Justice PressUmbreit, M. (2001) The Handbook of Victim Offender Mediation: An Essential Guide to Practice and Research California: Jossey-Bass In., EditoriUmbreit, M. and Coates, R. (1992) Victim offender mediation: an Analysis of Programs in Four States of the US Minneapolis: Minnesota Citizens' Council on Crime & JusticeUmbreit, M., Coates, R. and Roberts, A. (1997) Transnational impact of restorative justice through mediation and dialogue ICCA Journal on Community Corrections 8:2 pages 46–50. Wallis, B. (2007) Guide to Restorative Justice. London: Jessica Kingley PublishersWilliams, K. (2004) “Victims, survivors and victimology” in Textbook on Criminology. New York: Oxford University PressZehr, H. (2002) The Little Book of Restorative Justice. USA: Good booksZernova, M. (2007) Restorative justice: ideals and reality. oxon; Ashgate Publishing