Source: (2011) International Journal of Advanced Legal Studies and Governance. 2(1):102-112.
The strong advocacy for Restorative Justice and Alternative Dispute Resolution
in Africa; and evolving models is a welcomed development for penal reforms and
conflict resolution. However, as an African adage says “it is when a tripod is
being designed and constructed that the legs should be set straight to forestall
cook wares falling”. This study drew its strength from a completed Doctor of
Philosophy (PhD) dissertation initially reviewed with the aim of setting the record
straight in the meaning and conceptions of restorative justice and alternative
dispute resolution for African practitioners. This is imperative because as the
saying goes “words put differently make different meanings, and meaning put
differently yield different actions”. So if restorative justice and alternative dispute
resolution must advance professionally, and as academic disciplines in Africa,
practitioners and academics must understand the ‘thin’ differences inherent in
the principles and practice of restorative justice, and alternative dispute resolution. (author’s abstract)
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