Reconciliation: some lessons learned in the restorative justice context

Abstract

Reconciliation is a complex process requiring the confluence of a number of critical factors. The fact that reconciliation is by definition a personal experience makes large-scale public reconciliation projects highly challenging. Since the early 1970s in the field of restorative justice, the possibility of reconciliation between victim and offender, even in the case of the most serious crimes, has been studied, and some effective criteria and guidelines have been developed to increase the potential for reconciliation. This article identifies the elements which have promoted reconciliation in restorative justice, and suggests that these may also be effectively applied to large-scale public reconciliation efforts.