Jennifer J. Llewellyn - Speaking My Truth
Jennifer J. Llewellyn - Speaking My Truth Jennifer J. Llewellyn - Speaking My Truth
Zaprio (1997). The Hole Truth: Cartoons fromthe Sowetan, Mail & Guardian, and CapeArgus. Cape Town, SA: David Philip Publisher.188 | Jennifer J. Llewellyn
Any bridge must pay close attention to the ground upon which it is anchoredin order to plant a firm foundation for safe crossing. Restorative justice offers aclear picture of the nature of the ground on both sides of the bridge—of truthand reconciliation. It is also able to offer significant insight into the processesand mechanisms that are necessary to cross the gap between the two.Reconciliation as Restored RelationshipsRestorative justice is a theory of justice that sees justice as concerned withthe harms to people and relationships resulting from wrongdoing. Justiceon a restorative account requires the restoration of the relationshipsharmed. Starting from a relational view of the world, restorative justicerecognizes the fundamental interconnectedness of people through websof social relationships. When a wrong is perpetrated, the harm resultingfrom it extends through these webs of relationship to affect the victim andwrongdoer and their immediate families, supporters, and communities. Asa result, wrongdoing also profoundly affects the fabric of the society. 7Restorative justice resonates with and owes much to the insights of Aboriginalconceptions of justice. 8 The resemblance between restorative and Aboriginalconceptions of justice is another factor to commend restorative justice to theIndian Residential Schools TRC. The work of the commission must respondto and resonate with Survivors’ sense of justice if it is to contribute towardreconciliation.Doing justice in a restorative way requires attending to the full range ofrelational harms related to a wrongful act. On a restorative understanding ofjustice, the harms resulting from wrongdoing are most significantly harms torelationships. The harms suffered by individuals are not however insignificant.They must be identified, understood, and addressed if relationships are to berestored. Understanding the relational nature of the harms resulting fromwrongdoing also provides context and definition to the harms individualswithin those relationships have suffered. 9The aim of justice envisioned restoratively is to “restore” relationshipsbetween and among the parties involved to a state in which all parties aretreated with equal concern, respect, and dignity. The quality of relationshipsought by restorative justice is equality in these basic elements of humanrelationship that reflect our equal moral worth. These elements of relationshipare the building blocks of peaceful and productive human relationships. 10The word “restore” also leads some to mistakenly hear restorative justice as acall for a return to the way things were before the wrong occurred. If this wasthe goal of restorative justice, it would be obviously problematic since there isFrom Truth to Reconciliation | 189
- Page 1 and 2: Jennifer J. LlewellynFrom From Trut
- Page 3 and 4: Bridging the Gap between Truth and
- Page 5: and pave the way to reconciliation.
- Page 9 and 10: of past wrongdoing, its implication
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- Page 15 and 16: Encounter ProcessesA restorative fr
- Page 17 and 18: Future OrientationThe commission’
- Page 19: Notes1 Indian Residential Schools R
Zaprio (1997). The Hole <strong>Truth</strong>: Cartoons fromthe Sowetan, Mail & Guardian, and CapeArgus. Cape Town, SA: David Philip Publisher.188 | <strong>Jennifer</strong> J. <strong>Llewellyn</strong>
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