Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Howard Zehr's 'Changing Lenses' / A New Focus For Crime & Justice. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 10 page paper that considers the major points presented in Zehr's book, especially the concept of restorative justice, and provides a critical analysis of his argument. Bibliography lists no additional sources.
Page Count:
10 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Zehr.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
and their communities. In essence, Zehr argues that recidivism is directly linked to the lack of a correlation between the victims of crimes, their communities, and the process of
justice, which generally focuses on a purely punitive model and does nothing to bring the criminal into alignment with the damage they have done to a community and to many
individuals. Even in the process of legal action in civil cases, there is rarely a link between the monetary compensation for damages and the actually perspectives of the criminal
who has committed the crime. It is Zehrs contention presented in Changing Lenses that there is an increasing need within the existing structure of many criminal justice systems
worldwide (but especially in Canada and the United States) to address the issues surrounding juvenile crime rates, recidivism and the decline of many communities within the process of applying justice.
Only by demonstrating systems that link criminals to their damages is it possible to gain a sense of responsibility, of conscience, that is valuable deterring crime. One
of the major theories presented by Zehr is what he deems "restorative justice" which is a process by which individuals, especially juvenile offenders, are required to focus on the impacts
of their crimes against individuals and communities by holding them directly accountable for making amends to for the damages committed (Zehr, 1990). Because this type of retribution is
directly linked to the activity committed, this focus is a significant means of support in juvenile justice, when the elements of this kind of justice can have a greater impact
on the development of a social and individual conscience. Restorative justice is one of the primary focal points of Zehrs book, and must be considered when evaluating the
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