Changing Lenses: Restorative Justice for Our Times

by Howard Zehr

Changing Lenses examines our assumptions about crime and justice, which it terms a 'retributive' lens or paradigm. It then looks at historical, biblical, and practical alternatives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Justice, Law, Sociology, Theology, School, Religion

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Howard Zehr is an American criminologist, prolific writer and editor, speaker, educator, and photojournalist; widely considered to be a pioneer of the modern concept of restorative justice.

Widely known as “the grandfather of restorative justice,” Zehr began as a practitioner and theorist in restorative justice in the late 1970s at the foundational stage of the field. He has led hundreds of events in more than 25 countries and 35 states, including trainings and consultations on restorative justice, victim-offender conferencing, judicial reform, and other criminal justice matters. His impact has been especially significant in the United States, Brazil, Japan, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Britain, the Ukraine, and New Zealand, a country that has restructured its juvenile justice system into a family-focused, restorative approach.

Zehr was an early advocate of making the needs of victims central to the practice of restorative justice. A core theme in his work is respect for the dignity of all peoples.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book discusses the U.S. criminal justice system and how unjust and unchristian it has become. It looks at what happens to offenders, victims and communities and how our system concerns itself with punishment, while failing to teach offenders to take responsibility for their past and future actions and failing to make communities responsible for providing basic needs to their citizens.

[Thomas DeWolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in advance of taking a course in "restorative justice" as part of the Summer Peacebuilding Institute at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I've known the author, Howard Zehr, for several years and I've known his reputation as the "father of RJ" in the United States for far longer.

Changing Lenses will get you thinking in new ways about criminal justice and about justice and injustice in general. The invitation to look at life through "new lenses" is critical to getting out of our own way (and our beliefs, inheritances, and dogmas). This book is about looking at criminal justice in ways that are much more challenging than most folks are used to. If restorative justice principles were truly applied to the criminal justice system it would revolutionize the way we all approach how to deal with people who harm others.

Where criminal justice asks three questions (what laws have been broken? who did it? what do they deserve?), RJ asks different questions. Who all has been hurt (including offenders and the community)? What are their needs? Whose all has obligations to contribute to meeting those needs?

My interest in RJ is how these principles apply to other challenging harms in life such as racism. There is definitely a correlation.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Zehr is truly an incredible man for what he has taught countless people about restorative justice, but even moreso because of his humility. This book was originally publish in 1990 and Howard has since written a few afterwords for new editions. It astounds me how effortlessly and articulately he criticizes his original work and brings to the the new things he has learned since writing it. Even more profound is that to people he often quotes as teaching him new ways of thinking about RJ were actually his students! He models so well the principles he describes and that we should all strive for. Reading these ideas makes you wonder what is taking our society so long to get on board. I'm glad higher education is making this move and that I'm getting to be a part of it. If you have no idea what I'm talking about but are intrigued, go grab one of his "Little Books" instead of this one. They're a great introduction and can be easily consumed in about an hour or two.

[Daniel Seifert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful guide for the application of "gentle cynicism" of the Western judicial system and cultural attitudes about crime, the "criminal" and the victims with practical vision for working toward genuine and holistic justice

[Ariel (ariel_reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction book into the perspective of restorative justice. A relatively easy read, Zehr concisely spells out what it means to look at crime and offenders in a way that prioritizes the victim and the victim's needs.

[Drick · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to Restorative Practices by one of the founders of the modern Rj movement. The updated version incorporates many of the additions to thought and practice from the initial days.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to Restorative justice, particularly from a Christian perspective.

[Mathew Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a primer on how to approach justice in a way that isn't punitive/retributive and doesn't center punishment/pain/prison, pick this up, I implore you!

[Alex Carlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing and inspiring vision of what justice could be.

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

legal. um bom olhar sobre justiça restaurativa. mas ao mesmo tempo achei muito idealista, geograficamente limitado e crente demais para mim, além de ser um livro extremamente e desnecessariamente repetitivo.

[Alejandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had interesting points but I just couldn’t get into it. I had to read it for class which might be the problem but I still didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought i would

[Clivemichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the issues. Well described historical references.