The community-based restorative justice projects in Republican and Loyalist communities in Northern Ireland which are the focus of this thesis are some of the most high-profile developments of restorative justice in the world. The projects were established with the explicit aim of providing non-violent alternatives to punishment shootings and beatings as practiced by paramilitary groups in both communities at the time, and are led by former combatants of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The projects are unique in that they were established and have operated independently from the state, and they represent a truly grassroots response to local problems 'with crime and antisocial behaviour. This thesis specifically investigates.how such grassroots initiatives can challenge cultures of violence at the individual and community levels within a period of transition from conflict to stable democratic rule. Furthermore, it investigates the potentials of bridge-building, both within communities as a form of community empowerment and capacity building; and between historically estranged communities and the state, both important contributions in the transitional phase. The arguments in this thesis speaks to broader debates within restorative justice by exploring the extent to which the framework may be applied to much more serious incidents of violence and criminality, rather than its traditional focus on juvenile and minor crimes. Moreover, it aims to contribute to the emerging literature on a criminological approach to peace-building, both within post-conflict societies and high-crime communities elsewhere.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:486215 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Eriksson, Anna Margareta |
| Publisher | Queen's University Belfast |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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