A 2018 U.S. Department of Justice report assessing data from thirty states found that eighty-three percent of those individuals released from state prisons in 2005 were rearrested within nine years. When a revolving door ushers five of six individuals back into custody and decimates communities, more effective approaches to criminal justice demand attention. In countries around the world, restorative justice has been emerging as a promising candidate. It generally involves an interactive process in which stakeholders identify and grapple with harms caused by the crime. But many environments lack the resources to invoke its benefits. While restorative justice takes various forms, the crux of each variant involves perspective taking—seeing the harm and its consequences through the eyes of those who experienced it. Cognitive science research suggests that the emerging technology of virtual reality affords an innovative and often especially compelling approach to perspective taking. Embodying an avatar through virtual reality unlocks the opportunity to experience the world as another. Avatars could make virtual perspective-taking encounters a valuable introduction for subsequent in-person encounters or offer a perspective-taking opportunity when in- person encounters are not practical or prudent. This Article explores how virtual reality could become a catalyst for restorative justice.

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虚拟现实：恢复性司法的潜在催化剂

美国司法部 2018 年的一份评估来自 30 个州的数据的报告发现，2005 年从州监狱获释的人中有 83% 在九年内再次被捕。当一扇旋转门将六个人中的五个人带回拘留所并摧毁社区时，更有效的刑事司法方法需要引起注意。在世界各国，恢复性司法已成为有希望的候选者。它通常涉及一个互动过程，在这个过程中，利益相关者识别并应对犯罪造成的危害。但是许多环境缺乏资源来调用它的好处。虽然恢复性司法有多种形式，但每个变体的关键都涉及视角——通过那些经历过伤害的人的眼睛来看待伤害及其后果。认知科学研究表明，新兴的虚拟现实技术提供了一种创新且通常特别引人注目的视角获取方法。通过虚拟现实体现化身可以解锁体验另一个世界的机会。虚拟形象可以使虚拟视角转换成为后续面对面遭遇的宝贵介绍，或者在面对面遭遇不切实际或不谨慎时提供视角转换机会。本文探讨了虚拟现实如何成为恢复性司法的催化剂。虚拟形象可以使虚拟视角转换成为后续面对面遭遇的宝贵介绍，或者在面对面遭遇不切实际或不谨慎时提供视角转换机会。本文探讨了虚拟现实如何成为恢复性司法的催化剂。虚拟形象可以使虚拟视角转换成为后续面对面遭遇的宝贵介绍，或者在面对面遭遇不切实际或不谨慎时提供视角转换机会。本文探讨了虚拟现实如何成为恢复性司法的催化剂。