Accountability: the ability to acknowledge one’s role in impacting another person, and to take meaningful action to recognize and repair the harm one caused. (ii)

Community: any group of people with some shared or unifying factor. Groups of people can be large or small, but establishing a strong sense of community is necessary to build resilience in the face of harm or when interacting generally. Restorative Justice views community building as the foundation of its practices, an essential component of interacting, addressing harm, and providing support. A strong community is more resilient to harm, which is why Restorative Justice focuses on strengthening relationships through community building circles in addition to providing other, more specific circles and resources. (ii)

Crime: a crime is a wrongdoing classified by the state or Congress as a felony or misdemeanor. A crime is an offense against a public law. This word, in its most general sense, includes all offenses, but in its more limited sense is confined to felony. [ix]

Harm: a violation of a or multiple relationship(s). While an individual can inflict harm upon another, this often also has a general effect on the community as well, thus requiring greater community involvement toward reducing, addressing, and repairing harm. (ii)

Inclusivity: An intention or policy of including people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as the handicapped, learning-disabled, or racial and sexual minorities. (x) Inclusive: circles are meant to involve anyone impacted by community action and interaction, thus are inclusive of those affected by community interaction and harm in a community. (ii)

Justice: The process or result of using laws to fairly judge and punish crimes and criminals [iii]

Juvenile Delinquency: The Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act defines juvenile delinquency (any act that is otherwise a crime, but is committed by someone under 18 years of age) and sets forth rules by which state laws must comply with regard to juvenile court procedures and punishments. [iv]

Offender: an accused defendant in a criminal case or one convicted of a crime. (xi)

Punishment: The imposition of hardship in response to misconduct. (xii)

Recidivism: Recidivism is one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice. It refers to a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime. Recidivism is measured by criminal acts that resulted in rearrest, re-conviction or return to prison with or without a new sentence during a three-year period following the prisoner’s release. [ii]

Reintegration:the action or process of integrating someone back into society, the action or process of restoring elements regarded as disparate to unity. (v)

Relationship: the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected. (vii)

Respect: a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements, due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others. (vi)

Responsibility: the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something. the opportunity or ability to act independently and make decisions without authorization, the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. (viii)

Restorative Justice: Restorative justice is a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offense and to collectively identify and address harms, needs, and obligations, in order to heal and put things right as possible. [i)

Victim: A person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action. [xiii]

Voluntary: all elements of any Restorative Justice circle process are voluntary. Participants can choose not to engage with a particular element, or can participate to the extent that they feel comfortable with. Harm circles and Connection and Support circles are also voluntary, and require all participants to willingly engage with the process. (ii)

Sources:

[i] Zehr, Howard. 2002. “Defining Restorative Justice.” Pg.37 in The Little Book of Restorative Justice, Good Books Intercourse, PA.

(ii)“Restorative Justice Vocabulary and Terms” Reed College. https://www.reed.edu/restorative-justice/restorative-justice-vocabulary.html

[iii] “Justice | Definition of Justice by Merriam-Webster.”http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justice.

[iv] “Juvenile Justice | Wex Legal Dictionary / Encyclopedia | LII / Legal Information Institute.”https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/juvenile_justice.

(v)“Reintegration| Definition of Reintegration by Oxford Dictionary.” https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

(vi)“Respect| Definition of Respect by Oxford Dictionary.” https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

(vii)“Relationship | Definition of Relationship by Oxford Dictionary.” https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

(viii)“Responsibility| Definition of Responsibility by Oxford Dictionary.” https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

[ix] “Legal Definition of Crime.”http://www.lectlaw.com/def/c330.htm.

[x] “Inclusivity” – Dictionary Definition of Inclusivity | Encyclopedia.com: FREE Online Dictionary.”http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-inclusivity.html.

[xi] “Offender.” TheFreeDictionary.com. http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/offender.

[xii] “Punishment.” TheFreeDictionary.com. http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/punishment.

[xiii] “Victim” – Definition of Victim in English from the Oxford Dictionary.”http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/victim.