ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the establishment of community restorative justice projects in Republican and Loyalist communities in Northern Ireland, beginning with the initial discussions held in 1997–8, in which former combatants and ex-political prisoners were a central driving force. The development of community restorative justice reflected the divided nature of Northern Ireland, and, importantly, the process of establishing the projects occurred independently of each other; there was no cooperation or exchange of ideas across the community divide at this stage. 1 However, common themes emerged from the establishment processes in both communities, notably the organic development of practice which characterised the first years of operation for these grass-roots organisations, competing modes of social control between paramilitaries and restorative justice projects, and changing community perceptions of this new and radical initiative.
