The Means to Reconcile – Tina, Grade 9

The Means to Reconcile – Tina, Grade 9

The Means to Reconcile

What is the purpose of administering justice? If it means meting out punishment, then humans have lost the spirit of justice. Although the justice system may require the punishment of perpetrators, its main goal should be to rehabilitate them for a safe return to society. This is the attitude that Judge Thomas, in The First Stone by Don Aker, takes when issuing Reef’s sentence. She embodies the spirit of restorative justice, which is the best way to reconcile offenders with the community by helping them gain a sense of accountability and responsibility as well as a feeling of compassion and empathy, traits that are the building blocks of restorative justice.  

Judge Thomas’s beliefs of restoring perpetrators give Reef the chance to develop accountability and responsibility while serving his sentence. During Reef’s time in North Hills, Colville assigns him to repair the greenhouse. Reef, who still lacks responsibility, finds a rock and “[throws] the rock as hard as he [can], shattering one of the greenhouse panels” (Aker 97). Reef’s anger boils up when Colville tells him what to do; therefore, in response, Reef takes his anger out on the greenhouse. However, he soon realizes that he cannot shirk his responsibility. Although Reef reluctantly does his job, he unexpectedly begins to feel responsible for the assignment and accountable for the extra damage that he has caused. As a result, Reef becomes passionate for his greenhouse and “surprise[s] himself lately by thinking of it as his” (Aker 117). The newly renovated greenhouse symbolizes Reef’s newly developed traits. Nonetheless, the damage-and-repair process that Reef goes through with Leeza is more impactful.

 Judge Thomas’s goal of restorative justice is accomplished when Reef develops feelings of compassion and empathy by witnessing Leeza’s sufferings. Being unaware of Leeza’s adversities, Reef feels ambivalent after she involuntarily starts sobbing from the memories of her sister. When Leeza first cries, Reef thinks of “[calling] the nurse to … babysit loonies who belly-laugh[s] one moment and then bawl[s] the next” (Aker 166), but he does not; instead, he “[finds] the Kleenex and [gives] it to [Leeza]” (Aker 166). As the cause of Leeza’s sister’s death resembles Reef’s grandmother’s, Reef starts to feel empathy for Leeza, a feeling that he has hardly had before. By enduring the pain of her crippling accident and its aftermath, Leeza evokes Reef’s compassion. Reef’s newly developed senses change Leeza’s life, a change that is most evident in Carly’s statement to Reef: “[Leeza’s] been a different person since you showed up… Her change in attitude made a world of difference. And you made that happen, Reef” (Aker 202). Without knowing, Reef has helped to restore his victim. Restorative justice succeeds when Reef learns the ability to empathize with victims, which brings him ever closer to them and transforms his attitude towards their sufferings.

Were it not for the spirit of restorative justice, Reef would not be able to reconcile with his victims and community in order to become a more productive citizen. Reef’s journey of redemption prepares him for a fresh start by helping him learn how to be accountable and responsible as well as how to feel compassion and empathy. The change in Reef’s attitude shows how all young offenders have the potential to return to a normal life through restorative justice programs. In Canada, between 2001 and 2014, recidivism rates among offenders receiving community-based sentences were always lower than the rates among offenders serving jail time, proving the effectiveness of restorative justice (“Rates”). Howard Zehr, a criminologist once stated: “I have a dream that we won’t have to talk about restorative justice because it will be understood that true justice is about restoration, and about transformation. I have a dream” (Zehr).