Challenging cultures of violence through community restorative justice in Northern Ireland

Abstract

This chapter focuses on aspects of community restorative justice practices in Northern Ireland that have been central in challenging embedded cultures of violence within the current transitional context. It is argued that a strict adherence to restorative justice values, in combination with a flexible approach to the process used, are two core strengths of practice that have facilitated such a possibility. Moreover, these grassroots initiatives work well with organised, structured, and hierarchical communities, which in the Northern Irish context translate to paramilitary organisations. They are arguably less effective in relation to looser community structures, such as vigilante groups and individual violent responses to crime and conflict.

Citation

Eriksson, A. (2008), "Challenging cultures of violence through community restorative justice in Northern Ireland", Ventura Miller, H. (Ed.) Restorative Justice: from Theory to Practice (Sociology of Crime, Law and Deviance, Vol. 11), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 231-260. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1521-6136(08)00410-7