The Northern Kentucky Law Review Symposium on March 22 looked at another side of justice: restorative justice. “Restorative Justice:
Examining Community, Criminal and Environmental Themes” brought together panels of law professors from various law schools, government officials and agency directors involved in restorative justice initiatives to explore how the approach can repair harms and prevent crimes, instead of only punishing.
• What restorative justice is: “It is a system of principles and practices that can be used instead of traditional retributive justice,” says Chase Professor Amy Halbrook, who introduced the concept at the symposium. “Restorative justice focuses on violations of law as violations of people and relationships. It seeks to examine the reasons for and impact of violations to determine what can be done to repair the harm, and holds the person who committed the harm accountable.”
• What panels discussed: How restorative justice can be used in the areas of community health, criminal and juvenile court reforms, and the environment.
• Who from Chase was on the symposium program (along with faculty from five other law schools and 10 people involve in restorative
justice): Dean Judith Daar, Professors Michael Mannheimer, Alex Kreit and Halbrook, and student law review editors Sydney Auteri, Ian Manahan, Matthew Carlin and Nathan Thacker.
