Source: (2005) Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal. February 14. Downloaded 19 October 2005.
Ho’oponopono, explains Andrew Hosmanek, is a traditional Hawaiian dispute resolution system. Interest in this traditional practice has increased in recent years. The word “ho’oponoponoâ€? means “to make right.â€? It involves participation by both offender and victim, as well as other concerned parties, in a kind of guided mediation. Ho’oponopono differs from other kinds of mediation in this way. After a successful mediation of this kind, the participants figuratively “cut the cord.â€? That is, they sever the tangle of legal and psychological bonds resulting from the offense or wrongdoing. The dispute is then put to rest forever, and true healing can begin. While recent interest in ho’oponopono has focused on family law disputes, Hosmanek extends this approach to potential applications in criminal law. He does this by providing a brief history of ho’oponopono, explaining its methods, describing current applications of it, and proposing a general plan for its use in the criminal law setting.
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