What is Justice?: How Justice is Derived from Cultural Values

Abstract

This paper identifies and examines the cultural values guiding the American response to criminal wrongdoing. Guided by scholars from several academic disciplines, the first two sections of the paper identify how the many punishments levied by the criminal justice system reinforce negative outcomes for offenders and how these punishments intensify for underserved groups. The final section of the paper discusses alternative justice practices and contrasts the values reflected between a traditional response to criminal wrongdoing and a restorative response.