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Why Does Restorative Justice Matter?

Why Does Restorative Justice Matter? I wrote the paper below for Restorative Justice for All International Institute in celebration of Restorative Justice Week 2019, Visit [ https://www.rj4all.info/ ] to learn more. The term 'Restorative Justice' (RJ) came about out of concern for the victim, as the victim was seen to be ignored by the criminal justice system and only viewed as witnesses to a crime against the state. RJ is not a new concept. It was once a dominant model of criminal justice worldwide [1] . The move away from RJ took place in the Middle Ages when communities shifted from Acephalous (headless societies) to ‘States’, therefore shifting the responsibility for punishment and harm reparation from victims to the state [2] . RJ views crime as more than the mere breaking of the law and maintains that crime causes harm to people, relationships, and the community. Therefore, a just response must address those harms as well as the crime [3] . Zehr (1990.,p.181)
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Afrocentric Restorative Justice

Afrocentric Restorative Justice Inspired by an article written by  JENKINS, MORRIS  in 2004

New Year 2020

Happy New year to All The year 2020 came with a Bang! Whether we are ready or not, the year is here, and there is no going back. All we can do is make the best out of it. Personally speaking, new years are very emotional times for me. It is time I look back on what I have done in the previous year, and me being me! I mostly focus on what I have not done, and all the time I have wasted. Well, this is not good for me or anyone actually, for this reason, I fall into depression and go through an intense time of regret. Lucky for me, I am a strong woman because I always pull through. To anyone out there who is like me and fall into depression in the dawn of the new year. I would like to encourage you to try to look at the bright side of the setting year. Focus on the good that has happened in the year, in case you feel like your year was mostly bad. Take this new year to reset, see it as a new chance, a clean slate to start again. This will help you have a positive attitude toward th

What is Conflict?

Defining conflict Conflicts are normal and unavoidable, and they are everywhere. You turn on the television, and you hear about a conflict irrupting, a conflict coming to an end, or, in most cases, a conflict reoccurring. There are many ways to categorize armed conflicts, and those include International armed conflict, internal armed conflict, non-state conflict, communal conflict, electoral conflict. Today, most of the battles are internal conflicts, while the number of international wars has decreased drastically in recent years. Violent conflicts usually have a negative connotation and are probably one of the most studied concepts in social sciences. As a result, we find that there is no agreed-upon definition, the reason being that one can find "conflict" researchers in a lot of disciplines such as politics, psychology, anthropology, theology, economics, sociology, and philosophy. However, the concept in a general sense is defined as "a serious disagreem

An Assessment of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC): Did it enable justice for victims?

TRC in South Africa We live in a violent world. South Africa is one of the countries that had to deal with a prolonged period of violence and oppression. The South African black people were denied of their fundamental human right. Resistance to the laws of apartheid was managed with police brutality. The racial tension created inestimable, endless wounds in the lives of the people. When transitioning into democracy, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up, which invited perpetrators to talk about their transgression and victims were given a platform to tell their stories and express their feelings. The TRC in South Africa (SA) is well known to have been successful in putting the past to rest, but questions are still lingering on whether it brought justice to victims. South Africa is one of the countries that is generally regarded to have been successful in democratic transition. Its democratic transition is "widely acclaimed as one of the most successful t

Does Restorative Justice Work?| John Braithwaite

This Poster below summarises John Braithwaite empirical evidence about the effectiveness of restorative justice. To learn more, visit his page here:  http://johnbraithwaite.com/restorative-justice/

Restorative Justice (RJ) | What Is Restorative Justice?

This article provides a more theoretical base for future posts related to Restorative Justice. In this article, I will discuss three aspects of restorative Justice. First, an introduction to Restorative Justice is given. The second part will show how Restorative Justice opposes the standard retributive judicial system as we know it, and thirdly different forms of Restorative Justice will be listed. What is Restorative Justice? Restorative Justice is a highly-debated concept which makes it difficult to define. According to Braithwaite (1999), Restorative Justice is a theory of Justice that is designed to repair the harm caused by a criminal offence. When defining Restorative Justice, it is crucial to include the process of Restorative Justice, its values and the outcome. Take for instance the definition by Professor Chris Marshal, where he writes that Restorative Justice is: "A voluntary process whereby those with a personal stake in an offence or conflict or injustice come t

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