San Diego State University Documentary Hermans House Paper

Part Two – you are to watch “Herman’s House” and write a review/critique of the film through a
restorative and retributive community-based lens. Each critique must address the following:

1. What are the assumptions and values you identify that relate to victims, offenders,
communities, trauma, shame, etc.? Tie in theories from the course.

2. What restorative or retributive assumptions and values are missing?

3. Do you believe that this portrayal of the system has an impact on viewers’ faith in the system
and their perception of its effectiveness?  If so, describe the impact and comment on whether it
contributes to a positive, negative or neutral influence on the general public’s perception of the
criminal justice system and its effectiveness.  If not, provide rationale for why you believe the
portrayal of the system does not to influence an individual’s perceptions

When writing this paper understand the concepts of the movie and how it applies to you. When you are responding to the questions above they should be ANSWERED PRIMARILY BASED ON YOUR OPINION and how restorative practices and retribution was seen throughout the film and what you thought was missing. If you were a facilitator what would you have done or changed?

***The professor does not want definitions of restorative practices or retribution

This part of the assignment is to be 4 – 5 pages in length (not including references & cover page),

double spaced, Times New Roman 12 font. Please include the documentary title and the episodes
viewed in your cover page. Grading will be according to how well the paper:

 Draws on specific details from the documentary.
 Correctly identifies and describes underlying assumptions and values
 Clearly critiques the movie from the perspective of a retributive and restorative world view.
 Draws a logical connection from watching the documentary to its potential impact on a
viewer’s perception of justice.
Although you are only referencing course material for this assignment, bibliography and
citations are required.