Justice and Restitution

Justice is not what the state does. Justice is what the victim does to close the moral debt — through restitution, through forgiveness, or through proportional retribution when restitution cannot be made. The state can enforce the victim's choice; it cannot substitute its own. These scenarios sharpen the line between justice as a relational act and justice as state assertion of authority.

Core terms

justice victim restitution retribution responsibility collective responsibility

Scenarios

  1. 1 The Victim Who Forgives
  2. 2 The Fine vs The Restitution
  3. 3 Generational Reparations