Use of Restitution as a Penal Measure in the United States

Abstract

AbstractRequiring offenders to restore victim losses through money payment, or occasionally through service, has been increasingly practised in the United States; this practice, referred to as restitution, has been implemented both through special penal projects and by incorporating restitution requirements into pretrial diversion or probation requirements. Renewed interest in restitution has occurred because of dissatisfaction with prevailing treatment approaches for offenders, a need for intermediate punishments which are more severe than probation but not as severe as imprisonment, the need for increasing public support of criminal justice programmes, and a renewed interest in crime victims. Restitution provides a useful mechanism for integrating crime victims into the criminal justice system but may require reorientation of probation work towards conflict resolution and peacemaking between victims and offenders.