¶ … Marianta undergoes rehabilitation. Punishment is not going to help her. It will only stigmatize her and make her more likely repeat her crimes in the future, as well as reinforcing her impression that she is an addict and has a psychopathic personality; that that is a part of her and cannot be helped. Rehabilitation -- or restorative judgment, on the other hand, believes that one should make a distinction between crimes perpetrated against society and crimes perpetrated against people. Zehr, for instance, claims that conventional criminal justice system views crime and justice through a retributive perspective where crime is seen as violating laws and justice is seen as condemning the other and demanding retribution (Zehr, 1990). In his own words, he describes "crime" as a "wound in human relationships," that "creates an obligation to restore and repair" (Zehr, 1990, 181) Restorative justice, on the other hand, according to Zehr, is far more encouraging and healthy in that it sees crime as violation of people and interpersonal relationships, rather than violation of a government law. Restorative justice is, therefore, more practical, more optimistic,...

The differnce between the two perspectives of crime and justice is immense: conventional legal system sees the offender as violating government-implemented laws. Restorative justice, on the other hand, focuses on violation of social relationship and seeks to repair fractured interpersonal relationships.
Many criticize the fact that addiction is considered a crime. Liberals claim that the individual is in charge if his own body and the government should not interfere. It is only when one considers that involvement in drugs may fracture society that it makes sense that substance abuse become a crime. It is in this way too that the offender can more readily be helped. By he or she realizing the gravity of his offense and the way in which it harms others and by coming face-to-face with this reality -- it is in this way that the offender may be brought to more readily appreciate the consequences of his deed and may decide to reform. The same is true…