Regulating Restorative Justice: What Arbitration Teaches Us About Regulating The Restorative Process In Criminal Courts

INTRODUCTION

My first encounter with restorative justice occurred in 2016, when I was working as a student researcher in Kigali, Rwanda. I had been employed by a local non-profit whose mission was to foster peace and reconciliation after the Rwandan genocide of 1994. My task was to interview survivors and perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide about their experience of post-conflict reconciliation. With the help of a translator, I talked to survivors and perpetrators in pairs. In the morning, I would hear the survivor's account of how the perpetrator had killed their family members, and why they nonetheless offered that person forgiveness. In the afternoon, I would hear the perpetrator's account of murder and remorse. The day concluded with a meal, shared by all parties.