Restorative justice needs a floor and ceiling on punishment

A defensible restorative justice model must include both a floor and a ceiling on outcomes: a minimum punishment (set largely by what message it sends to potential future offenders and the harm to society) that even a forgiving victim cannot waive, and a maximum (set largely by consequentialist considerations about the offender and the costs of high prison populations) that even a vindictive victim cannot exceed—so rich offenders cannot simply buy their way out, and unequal outcomes for similar offenses are accepted just as society accepts that one cheating spouse is forgiven while another is thrown out.