Retributive justice and restorative justice are two completely different ways of looking at the prison system and treating offenders. Both have their pros and cons, but is there a form of justice that could be more effective in the American prison system? Here, we will define each form of justice, compare and contrast them to determine which may be most effective and should be instituted in prison systems across the United States. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayTo begin with, retributive justice has a very clear definition, as it is simply a form of justice that focuses on punishment of the offender, rather than rehabilitation. This form of justice focuses more on punishment and whether the wrongdoers serve their time or learn their lesson. A phrase that goes along these lines is "the punishment fits the crime", whereby murderers will often be sentenced to life in prison, rather than trying to rehabilitate, etc. It is more about punishing the offender rather than trying to help them in any way or seeing them as someone who made a mistake. Restorative justice, however, aims to rehabilitate and reintegrate the offender into society while focusing on the victims. of crime. In this version of justice, the offender attempts to repay or make amends to the victim or society in some way. Offenders can achieve this in several ways, but two of the most common are victim-centered reparation and community-centered reparation. According to the text: “Under victim-centered reparation, offenders returned to the rightful owner either what had been confiscated or its equivalent, usually in money or service. Under community-based reparation, offenders either pay a fine or perform community service for the community that serves as a surrogate victim” (2018, p. 24, Siegel). An example of this would be someone committing a car theft from an entire city block. He or she would return what he stole to each of the cars' owners and, in doing so, learn that his or her actions were wrong and unjust. Looking at both restorative justice and retributive justice, it appears that they both have a positive approach, but there is a growing trend of restorative justice programs. Indeed, “restorative justice processes pay attention not only to the harm inflicted on the victims of a crime, but also to the ways in which the crime harmed the offender and the community” (2018, p. 117, Seigel) . justice, everyone begins to feel included in what is happening – whether it is the offender being rehabilitated, the healing of the victim, or the restoration of the community. The same cannot be said for retributive justice, as the focus is not on the victim of the crime. The focus is solely on the offender and the sentence they impose – serving time for the crime they committed. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay When it comes to which one is most effective, it seems that restorative justice covers all the necessary areas. This allows the community to heal, the victim to be repaid, and the offender to learn the mistake they made. The same cannot be said of retributive justice, in the.