Stories of Transformative Justice

Koos A. de Beer is an ESL instructor in Vancouver, B.C.

Transformative justice is a strategy for dealing with offenders,
victims, and the community outside the penal system. In her introductory
chapter, the author explains how the penal system is failing us and
argues that there are more cost-efficient and effective alternatives.
Chapter 2 focuses on the healing process and the importance of
listening—for both victim and offender—in this process. Morris next
examines alternative justice solutions, with an emphasis on circle
sentencing and family conferencing. She then explores the role of
forgiveness in the healing process before concluding the book with
strategies for improving the penal system.

This is not a book steeped in academic detail. Its strength lies in the
individual stories; taken together, they make strong case for the
viability of alternatives to the penal system.