Our current culture of violence has made the criminal justice system a growth industry. News media promote fear of criminals and fear of young people. Politicians exploit the fears and choose simplistic but ineffective "get-tough" solutions (e.g., longer sentences, mandatory minimum sentences, sentencing kids as adults) that cost too much and squeeze other priorities from state and local budgets.

The current criminal justice system focuses on blame and guilt. Lip service to victims does not meet victims' real needs. The current system also fails to address the real needs of offenders or the community as a whole.

"Restorative justice" is a refreshingly wise and humane alternative. It asks, "Who is hurt, and what do they need?" It moves form blaming to problem-solving and healing. It addresses victims' needs directly and constructively by trying to make things right, to the extent possible. It also helps offenders honestly accept responsibility and helps reduce their likelihood of reoffending. Overall, it restores the brokenness of community. A true culture of nonviolence would use restorative justice instead of the current system.

CASE STUDY: Dave, age 16, acted out his frustrations and broke a window of a car parked in front of a house a few blocks from his home. He did not know Mrs. Weber, the elderly owner, and she had not known any teenagers personally for many years. So after years of absorbing society's negative stereotypes about teenagers, this first-hand experience now made her acutely fearful.

The typical criminal justice system would have punished Dave and ignored Mrs. Weber. Instead, a restorative justice program enabled parties to meet jointly with a mediator and address the problem constructively. Their meeting helped Dave recognize for the first time that he had financially and emotionally hurt a real, live human being, and so he sincerely apologized. In turn, Mrs. Weber, whose fears had escalated and generalized to an entire generation, was able to gain a realistic perspective and feel compassion for this one individual.

They agreed that Dave would compensate her loss by mowing her lawn weekly until September and performing a few heavy yard chores that she could no longer perform herself. Each day while Dave worked, Mrs. Weber baked cookies, which they shared when he finished. They actually came to appreciate each other as human beings with their own individual human dignity.

The military wants to screen out any enlistees whose religious or moral beliefs would interfere with following military orders. Therefore, recruiters require enlistees to sign a statement that they are not conscientious objectors. However, the recruiters do not accurately explain what a CO is or help enlistees wrestle with the spiritual and moral issues related to war. Recruiters are simply salespeople who want to "close" the sale.

People who are already in the military before discovering they are COs can get out only after an exhaustive process of proving - through interviews and written documentation - that their conscience prohibits them from remaining in the military.

A culture of nonviolence would reverse this process. A culture of nonviolence would affirm human dignity and presume that we know it is wrong to kill each other. We would shift the burden of proof by presuming CO beliefs unless potential enlistees demonstrate they have thoroughly wrestled with their consciences and their spiritual and moral beliefs. The only people we would allow into the military are those who finally conclude that they could indeed kill without violating their beliefs.

A culture of nonviolence would establish procedures throughout society's institutions that would seek out and evoke the BEST in people. This is just one example of turning the tables. It would be fun to brainstorm more examples!

compiled by Glen Anderson, Olympia FOR, glen@olywa.net , web pages maintained by Jean Buskin, Seattle FOR, bb369@scn.org posted April 4, 2002

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