The potential of restorative justice in cases of violent extremism and terrorism, 2021

Restorative justice, understood as a set of values, principles and resulting practices, offers many opportunities for preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE). These depend on the exact objectives set for each process and the given context: the type of crime, the development and stage of the conflict, the parties affected and the consequences of the harm.

Restorative justice promotes actions co-created by its participants, adapted to their specific needs and expectations – and therefore offers a prime opportunity for repairing the harm caused to victims of terrorism. It can be implemented for a wide range of complex violent crimes, as it is not necessary for the encounters between the individuals who harmed and those who have been harmed to be focused on ideological details and justifications for the conflict.

In cases of violent extremism, restorative justice has been used to provide concrete responses to the direct parties affected (e.g. victim-offender mediation), and sometimes to support the wider peacebuilding process in a certain community or country (e.g. through restorative circles).

To ensure the success of the restorative justice process, good practice principles are required: voluntariness, preparation and safety, among others. When based on these principles, restorative justice promises many opportunities for future application in P/CVE, in offender rehabilitation and in victims support.