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restorative justice

American  

noun

  1. a theory and method in criminal justice in which it is arranged that the victim and the community receive restitution from the offender.


restorative justice British  

noun

  1. a method of dealing with convicted criminals in which they are urged to accept responsibility for their offences through meeting victims, making amends to victims or the community, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Alternative-discipline proponents stress that restorative justice means school officials must no longer deliver consequences to misbehaving students; instead, they must explore restoration with them.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 29, 2026

The Southern California native also has been assigned to the restorative justice drug court and the Law Enforcement Accountability and Integrity Unit, where she consulted on police misconduct cases.

From Los Angeles Times May 1, 2026

But let’s assume that “Michael” could be the restorative justice that the Jackson estate and his indignant fans hope it will be.

From Salon Apr. 25, 2026

One pathway toward restorative justice, he said, is that "all the looted artifacts are returned to the motherland."

From Barron's Mar. 25, 2026

“I think it would still have been kinda weird if we didn’t do the restorative justice circle,” TC said.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

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