Howard Zehr

Howard Zehr is an American criminologist widely regarded as a pioneer of the modern concept of restorative justice. In his 1990 book Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Justice, Zehr argued that the conventional criminal justice system, focused on determining guilt and administering punishment for breaking the state's laws, should be reoriented around repairing the harm a crime causes to victims, offenders and communities through dialogue, accountability and, where appropriate, direct reconciliation between the parties involved. His framework helped popularize victim-offender mediation and restorative conferencing programs that spread through criminal justice systems, schools and community organizations across North America, Europe and beyond, and Zehr is often described within the field as the grandfather of restorative justice for the influence Changing Lenses had in establishing it as a distinct approach to criminal justice reform.