By David Greenwald
BERKELEY, Calif. — Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton on Thursday called for a broader and more humane understanding of accountability in the criminal legal system, arguing that punishment alone has failed to fully serve victims, restore communities or prevent future harm.
Speaking at the Prosecutors Alliance convening, “Re-imagining Accountability: Restorative Justice and the Future of Prosecution,” held at Berkeley Law School, Becton described restorative justice as an essential tool for modern prosecutors and said the future of prosecution depends on expanding the ways justice is pursued. She later spoke with the Vanguard about how those ideas have shaped policy in Contra Costa County.
Becton, who took office in 2017 after serving more than two decades as a judge, said prosecutors must move beyond a singular reliance on punishment if they are serious about public safety.
“For generations, accountability in the criminal legal system has been defined very narrowly. It was focused almost exclusively on punishment,” Becton said. “And while accountability has to always include responsibility for harm that may have been caused, we now know that punishment alone doesn’t heal victims. It does not restore communities and it doesn’t always prevent future harm.”
Her remarks come amid a national debate over the role of elected prosecutors, with reform-minded district attorneys in some jurisdictions emphasizing diversion, rehabilitation and alternatives to incarceration, while critics argue such approaches can weaken enforcement. Becton framed the issue differently, saying restorative justice is not a substitute for prosecution but part of a wider set of tools available to achieve safety.
“Restorative justice, it’s a tool. It’s not a replacement,” she said. “It’s not a replacement for prosecution. It’s just a tool … a broader tool in the large toolbox that we have that all get us to that same thing that we’re striving for, which is a safe community.”
During her address and subsequent interview, Becton detailed three restorative justice initiatives currently operating in Contra Costa County.
The first, known as Restore, is aimed at young people and operates before charges are filed. Cases are referred to the district attorney’s office by law enforcement, reviewed by prosecutors, and then transferred to a community-based partner that convenes the affected parties, assesses the needs of the youth participant and develops a path toward accountability and support.
When participants successfully complete the program, no criminal record results.
“We started Restore for our youth,” Becton told the Vanguard. “The cases come to our office from our law enforcement partners. We have prosecutors who review those cases … contacting the victim to make sure that they are okay to participate or that the case will move forward in this way. And then we send it over, the whole case, over to our community based partner.”
She said the model ensures that harm is acknowledged while also addressing underlying needs that may contribute to future system involvement….