Restorative policing is a service-oriented style of policing in which police officers are viewed as peacemakers who focus on relationship building and engagement with the community, rather than solely collaboration with and cooperation from the community. Restorative policing recognizes that officer safety will be enhanced through approaching dangerous situations with restorative values such as respect. Arguably, one of the long-term goals of law enforcement is to motivate law violators to become more self-regulating of future criminal behavior and respectful community citizens. However, this goal is often neglected in traditional models of policing that are based on a reactive, quasi-militaristic approach grounded in a use-of-force culture. In the 21st century, policing ideology appears to favor a more proactive and service-oriented approach than the traditional models of policing.
The service-oriented policing ideology is not new and can be attributed to Robert Peel, who encouraged a similar policing style as early as 1829, when policing was attempting to develop a professional identity. In the 1980s and 1990s, various terms were introduced to capture the more service-oriented style of policing, including problem-oriented policing, community policing, and restorative policing. The unifying thread connecting each of these approaches is that the community has a central role in how crime is managed. However, this concept has met with resistance because of different viewpoints about the power police officers need to maintain to ensure officer safety. Specifically, restorative policing has been challenged because of its distinct perspective on managing criminal behavior.
Although these various styles of service- oriented policing are similar, restorative policing differentiates itself because it does not maintain the traditional police psychological mindset, which upholds the dichotomy between offender and victim. Traditionally, the offender is viewed through a lens of us versus them and not as an important member of the larger community. Oppositely, restorative policing uses a mindset in which crime is viewed as a violation of a relationship, and the offender has the obligation to repair the harm experienced by the victim and the community. Restorative policing is grounded in values such as compassion, integrity, transparency, respect, and fair process. Police legitimacy is built using strategies and tactics that are consensual, transparent, and accessible to all community members. It is not based on one particular practice or method; rather, it is a change in the paradigm of how individuals respond to crime and the harm it causes.
The restorative policing model is based on interpersonal and communication skills rather than solely on analytical skills identifying solutions to specific problems. Although the community policing model has a goal of preventing and managing crime using a nonreactive/control- oriented approach to crime, it does not focus on the reparation of the harm caused by the offender to the victim and the community. The restorative focus has caused tension in traditional policing environments because it requires a sharing of power, which tends to elicit a fear for officer safety. However, advocates have argued that when restorative policing utilizes a range of police tactics and strategies reflective of local communities’ norms and when implemented correctly, it can prevent crime and help offenders accept responsibility for and repair the harm caused by their actions.
Moreover, advocates of restorative policing contend that conflict in communities can be reduced by increasing victims’ and communities’ confidence in responding to crime through being included in the process of finding the solutions needed to repair the harm caused by the criminal behavior. Furthermore, they assert that restorative policing can increase police officer job satisfaction, enhance officer safety and emotional wellbeing, and decrease the use of force when responding to crime. Further research is needed to empirically examine these assertions.
If restorative policing is to achieve legitimacy, it requires the community at large to embrace a set of values recognizing the inherent worth of all members of the larger society including offenders. Researchers have proposed a framework for implementation, which includes the following:
- Cultivate support for restorative policing from the top-down. Identify ways to implement innovation and leadership at all levels of organizational structure. However, preparation for a shift in a top-down hierarchal structure should be gradual and planned.
- Cultivate support for restorative policing from the bottom-up. Engage and empower frontline officers at the microlevel to strengthen linkages grounded in restorative values between the police and the community, including individuals at risk of involvement with the law. A message delivered by frontline officers in which police work is viewed as being about the promotion of victim and community empowerment and emotional well-being in contrast to just a sole focus on arresting the offender will be important. Such a balanced view of police work expands the frontline police officer’s public servant role to encompass all stakeholders in the justice system.
- Work to operationalize on a local level what restorative policing strategies and tactics look like and the anticipated expected outcomes. Engage a university partner to conduct research.
- Engage police officers and the community in training on the restorative policing model. Develop a sustainable and comprehensive training program. Training should connect restorative policing to other models of policing but explicitly define the differences. Officers who embrace the restorative policing approach should be involved in the training of other officers so that trainees can learn what to expect about using the restorative policing model from officers who have actual experience with the model.
Restorative policing holds great promise at a time when the need to increase police legitimacy is strong, and developed nations have recognized the failure of the punitive get tough on crime approach to crime management. The implementation of the paradigm shift to a restorative policing model requires an interdisciplinary approach including but not limited to psychologists, criminologists, law enforcement, and the community at large if it is to be successful. Currently, a great deal of room exists for research examining the benefits and weakness of the restorative policing model.
References:
- Clamp, K., & Paterson, C. (2017). Restorative policing: Concepts, theory and practice. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge.
- President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. (2015). Final report of the president’s task force on 21st century policing. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
- Tyler, T. (2006). Restorative justice and procedural justice: Dealing with rule breaking. Journal of Social Issues, 62(2), 307–326. Retrieved from https://doi. org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2006.00452.x