Afew years ago, two “skinhead” teenagers in Des Moines, Iowa, who considered themselves neo-Nazis, painted swastikas on a synagogue. The teens were immediately caught, and the outraged members of the synagogue pressed authorities to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Some even talked about vigilante justice. The prosecutor, Fred Van Liew, could have gone the usual route in prosecuting the teens for vandalism or even hate crimes, but he decided instead to try a restorative justice process to …