After news spreads of Emma’s carjacking, the surrounding community is shaken. Parents are fearful to send their children to the school and, in some cases, have made alternate arrangements. The school principal takes money originally earmarked for playground improvements and purchases a high-tech security system to monitor the parking lot. Unfortunately, there is not enough money remaining to repair some of the gardens surrounding the parking lot, which were damaged when Jordan and Dante ran over them as they sped away in the car.
Dante finally appears before a judge, with his mother by his side, and pleads guilty. He expresses regret and remorse for the incident, and his mother vows to keep a closer eye on him. Dante has one prior conviction for second-degree assault after he attacked the owner of a convenience store last year. He is also frequently absent from school and, when he does attend, regularly gets into physical fights with classmates. The judge offers Dante the opportunity to participate in a restorative justice program. Dante accepts.
Is a restorative approach sufficient to deter Dante from committing further crimes, or are traditional punishments necessary? How should Dante provide accountability to the community? This week, you examine the sufficiency of the restorative justice approach to deter criminal behavior. You also examine another tenet of restorative justice: accountability to the community.