Towards a ‘humanism of justice’ through restorative justice: a dialogue with history

The philosophical, legal, theological and anthropological origins of restorative justice and the programmes inspired by it are premised on a model of ‘doing justice’, which places the individual at its heart. This fact — which is revolutionary in that it marks a sea change from the criminal law perspective focusing solely on the perpetrator of the offence, and incorporates both the victim and the community into the handling of conflicts — has enabled restorative justice to be viewed as a kind of humanism of justice. The article explores the reasons for