Environmental stewardship refers to responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices. Aldo Leopold (1887â1949) championed environmental stewardship based on a land ethic dealing with man's relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it..
The approach is based on a theory of justice that considers crime and wrongdoing to be an offense against an individual or community, rather than the State. Restorative justice that fosters dialogue between victim and offender has shown the highest rates of victim satisfaction and offender accountability.
The criminal law is there not only to punish and control the offender, but to offer him or her a considerable measure of protection through a genuinely judicial system of punishment and control. These different aspects of the purposes of criminal law will be examined under three heads: protection of the offender, punish- ment, and protection of the community.