Another Justice

Leonard is serving life in a Florida jail for the murder of Patricia and Chris 18 years ago. Several years after his sentence was pronounced, Agnes, mother and grandmother to the victims, needed to understand and come to terms with this tragedy. Justice forbade her from meeting Leonard so she decided to write to him, her daughter’s murderer. Thus commenced a lengthy exchange of letters that gave rise to a book. Together they engaged in promoting restorative justice, this alternative interpretation of justice, based on prevention as well as dialogue between the offender and their victims. This other form of justice tries to answer these questions : What damage was done? What needs are created and for whom? Who needs to fulfill those needs?, rather than the questions raised by the present conservative system : What law has been broken? By whom? What’s the best punishment? Over the past 10 years, Agnes has met other people involved in similar initiatives. This film shows us the common points between these struggles and brings us to examine the meaning of restorative justice and the hopes it brings, both in the United States and in the rest of the world.