Definitions and assumptions that govern thinking about crime and justice in the Western countries are "lens" or the "paradigm" through which the public and policymakers view the nature and purpose of criminal justice institutions. The current perspective of crime and justice in the West is a "retributive" lens that focuses on the punishment of the offender according to the severity of the crime. Under this lens, crime victims are on the periphery. Crime victims have many needs, most of which are ignored by the criminal justice system. In some cases, the justice system increases the victim's emotional injury. Offenders are less ignored by the criminal justice system in terms of procedural rights, but their needs for accountability, for closure, and for healing are often ignored. This way of viewing and responding to crime, however, is not the only way. It has not been the dominant lens for most of Western history. Neither is it the biblical view of crime and justice. This book proposes a "restorative" model that is more consistent with experience, with the past, and with the biblical tradition. This model is based on the needs of victims and offenders, on past ways of responding to crime, on recent experiments, and on biblical principles. Appended suggestions for group study and a 69-item select bibliography