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Item Summary
'Myth 3: Restorative justice requires forgiveness and becoming friends with the offender.
Fact: The victim in a restorative program is not under any pressure or compulsion to forgive or reconcile with the offender. RJ simple engineers the process that helps the victim get answers to their toughest questions'
Although the place of forgiveness and reconciliation cannot be denied in several restorative processes, it is not the primary goal of any restorative process. RJ has come under so much heat because people often argue that any process that encourages becoming friends with an assailant should be discouraged.
However, RJ is a voluntary process where victims move at their pace and can decide whether or not to forgive the offender or become friends with them, and no restorative process forces reconciliation and forgiveness on the parties.