ABSTRACT
Throughout history, tragedies involving terrorism, genocide, or politically-motivated actions have left countless survivors searching for justice and ways to cope with the complicated aftermath of these types of events. One value-based process utilizing a balanced approach to addressing the needs of all stakeholders who are involved in these tragedies—the victims, wrongdoers, and communities— is restorative justice, “a broad term which encompasses a growing social movement to institutionalize peaceful approaches to harm, problem-solving and violation of legal and human rights” (Center for Restorative Justice, 2014). While restorative justice originally provided those who caused a crime the opportunity to be accountable for their behavior (e.g., Eglash, 1977), restorative justice principles and restorative practices are now being used for a wide range of situations (Braithwaite, 2002; Van Ness, 2011; Walker, 2013), providing victims with support and giving them a voice to express their needs in a variety of social and cultural contexts (United Nations, 2006). According to Zehr (2013): “Those who have been harmed need to be able to grieve their losses, to be able to tell their stories, to have their questions answered—that is, to have the harms and needs caused by the offense addressed.” (p. 7) Restorative justice gives people opportunities to heal (Zehr, 2011).
