Source: (2006) In, Dennis Sullivan and Larry Tifft editors, “Handbook of Restorative Justice” A Global Perspective. London and New York: Routledge. Taylor & Francis Group pp. 321-332
In this chapter we wish to draw out the significance of a number of features of these programs which have not been fully developed elsewhere. In particular we have chosen to focus upon three themes of distinct significance. These are: the strong sense of grassroots community ownership and participation in the programs; the prominent leadership roles which ex-prisoners and ex-combatants have played in the establishment and development of the programs and the related efforts at transforming attitudes towards violence in communities and paramilitary groups; and the prominence of human rights discourses as an embedded feature of RJ practice which has been a defining characteristic of the programs. We will argue that the intersections among these three elements offer the potential for personal and communal transformation of cultures of violence. (excerpt)
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