Transformative Justice

What is Transformative Justice

Transformative justice is a perspective that emerged from indigenous justice practices. It focuses on healing rather than revenge, and considers questions of justice and injustice in relation to both interpersonal and social-structural issues. Transformative justice is as concerned with the promotion of just processes as well as outcomes, and assumes that the two are inherently linked. A transformative approach views conflict as an opportunity to work with affected parties and communities to address underlying sources of harm, and to transform those conditions. It assumes that the people most affected by conflict should be directly involved in processes of resolution and justice, to the greater extent possible. Transformative justice recognizes the importance of accountability and responsibility, both for individuals and for organizations involved in justice work. It seeks non-exclusionary outcomes that maintain relationships between people and communities.

Conflict An ongoing situation that is based on deep-seated differences of values, ideologies, and goals. The differences are hard to resolve because they reflect the core values of the disputants. The parties may not be influenced by facts and may not want to examine trade-off options.

Conflict Management Conflict management generally involves taking action to keep a conflict from escalating further – it implies the ability to control the intensity of a conflict and its effects through negotiation, intervention, institutional mechanisms and other traditional diplomatic methods. It usually does not usually address the deep-rooted issues that many be at the cause of the conflict originally or attempt bring about a solution.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution seeks to resolve the incompatibilities of interests and behaviours that constitute the conflict by recognizing and addressing the underlying issues, finding a mutually acceptable process and establishing relatively harmonious relationships and outcomes.

Conflict Transformation Conflict transformation aims at shifting how individuals and communities perceive and accommodate their differences, away from adversarial (win-lose) approaches toward collaborative (win-win) problem-solving. Transforming a conflict is long-term process that engages a society on multiple levels to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills that empower people to coexist peacefully. Overcoming fear and distrust, dealing with stereotypes and perceptions, and learning how to communicate effectively are important steps in redefining relationships to bring forth social justice and equality for parties in conflict.