ABSTRACT
Proponents of restorative justice would argue that it places emphasis on healing relationships that have been broken by conflict and crime. The basic principle of restorative justice is that crime is a violation of people and relationships, and a disruption of community peace. It challenges the conventional view that crime is only an offence against the state. Accordingly, restorative justice involves a tripartite participation of victims, offenders and the community directly affected by the crime, in exploring creative solutions that target reconciliation and the restoration of peace in the community. Clearly, this new thrust is, once again, a revolutionary shift from the traditional adversarial justice system, which is found wanting when appropriate, creative and effective solutions are required to deal with crime and its effects on the victim, the offender and the community.
