A Socially Just Society

By Rebecca Martin

Why do we need all four types of justice?

Consider the Great Depression of the 1930s. Reckless and selfish practices within big business and the government had caused an economic crash leaving 25% of American people unemployed. Many of them soon were starving and homeless. Even the employed fell into hard times as wages were cut and prices increased. All of the following examples of the four types of justice (and others not listed) were necessary to help dig America out of the Depression.

Retributive Justice:
Deterring and Correcting Behavior

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): prevented banking panics Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): federal regulation of stock exchanges Banking Act of 1935: Increased federal control over monetary policy

Distributive Justice:
Allocation of Resources

Social Security: provided monetary support for the elderly and unemployed Federal Emergency Relief Administration: aided local relief efforts in providing food, housing, and clothing Increased taxes on the rich

Restorative Justice:
Repairing Harm

Job creation programs such as: Works Progress Administration National Youth Administration Civil Works Administration Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): produced dams, roads, waterways, and cheap fertilizer and energy

Redemptive Justice:
Forgiveness

National Recovery Administration (NRA): allowed business to regulate itself within several sets of conduct codes Emergency Banking Act and Glass Steagall Act: set rules that restored faith in the banking and investment industries

Works Cited
1930s: New Deal. Stevens and Shea Publishers Inc, 1995. Print. Patterson, James T. "New Deal." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online. Web. 20 Jan. 2013