Restorative Justice in Ohio Community service and victim impact panels, while not effective as a sanction, may have some benefit as part of a treatment program for hardcore offenders. Community service is used as part of the treatment process in jurisdictions practicing restorative or community justice. Restorative justice teaches that justice systems should not merely focus on offenders, but also be inclusive of community organizations and representatives, crime victims, crime victim advocates and victim organizations (Wilkinson 1998). In restorative justice, crime is seen as something done against victims and the community, not just a violation against the state or government. Practitioners of restorative justice believe services such as victim-offender mediation, community service work, restitution and other restorative concepts might reach offenders more than past punishment. Many statewide and local correctional agencies have implemented restorative justice principles as a method of accountability as well as a treatment component. Although exact numbers of agencies that have adopted a "restorative" philosophy are unknown, the momentum is increasing. "Offenders often rationalize that they didn’t hurt anyone or that someone else can easily pay for the damages. Community justice ensures that they bear personal responsibility to correct the damage they have done. Offenders participate in the process by paying restitution, offering an apology, performing community service work or participating in mediation. Offenders may be less likely to commit another offense if they have to face what they have done. By removing the barriers that separate the offender from his or her victim, and by making offenders face the human costs of their actions, crime is personalized for the offender." Reginald Wilkinson

A study (Wilkinson 2000) of the effects of community service on recidivism in the Ohio Prison System found inmates with no community service had a recidivism rate of 36.2 percent, while inmates with 100 or more hours had a recidivism rate of 26.1 percent.

Ohio also has piloted a program called Victim Sensitive Offender Dialogue in which victims meet with their offenders to help achieve closure. The Victim Sensitive Offender Dialogue operates from a similar standpoint as victim impact panels, except the dialogue is between victims and the specific inmate who affected their life.