“I slaughtered him. I slaughtered him like a goat.” These were the words Jerry Richardson, head of the Mandela United Football Club, spoke during a Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing. Richardson was providing a detailed account of the manner in which he had brutally murdered the fourteen-year-old child Stompie Seipei. Several other cases that imbibed similar and even worse cruelty were brought to light during the tenure of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or TRC. The TRC was created as a temporary commission whose purpose was to process applications for amnesty and bring restorative justice to the victims of apartheid. Apartheid, a model that had oppressed non-whites and treated them as subhuman, plagued South Africa for nearly half a century. Colonized in the 1600s by both English and Dutch alike, South Africa still remained under the power of the colonialists’ descendants even after gaining independence. One legacy of this domination by Europeans was the horrendous, sickening legacy of apartheid. Yet another legacy, a legacy of hope, forgiveness, and reconciliation would emerge in time as a dignifying characteristic of South Africa. As a shepherd of the South African people and staunch opponent of the apartheid regime, Anglican Archbisop Desmond Tutu contributed largely to the new legacy of the South African people. The mission and undertakings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and commissioner Desmond Tutu stand as a revolutionary model of restoration and peaceful democratization for other Third World countries ravaged by the legacy of colonialism. The journey to becoming a model of reconciliation for other countries that were beleaguered by violence was a long process for South Africa and for those who were abused under apartheid. Desmond Tutu is one of these people who had been degraded simply on a basis of his skin
The purpose of this paper is to examine the processes of both Restorative and Retributive justice through the case of Sara Kruzan vs. The State of California. First we will establish the principle philosophers associated with each type of justice and those system's theoretical applications in our criminal justice system. Then we will apply both systems to Sara Kruzan's trail and determine the publishable outcomes. Finally we will review Sara's Life after her trial and speculate on what system would have produced a more just outcome.
Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz states how schools that claim they are following restorative approaches through their policies in discipline are not necessarily restorative, but have enough flexibility to allow a restorative response.
“Restorative justice is an approach to crime and other wrongdoings that focuses on repairing harm and encouraging responsibility and involvement of the parties impacted by the wrong.” This quote comes from a leading restorative justice scholar named Howard Zehr. The process of restorative justice necessitates a shift in responsibility for addressing crime. In a restorative justice process, the citizens who have been affected by a crime must take an active role in addressing that crime. Although law professionals may have secondary roles in facilitating the restorative justice process, it is the citizens who must take up the majority of the responsibility in healing the pains caused by crime. Restorative justice is a very broad subject and has many other topics inside of it. The main goal of the restorative justice system is to focus on the needs of the victims, the offenders, and the community, and focus
How would a conservative reply to a proposal for restorative justice? How would a restorative justice advocate respond to a conservative proposal for more prisons?
Relevance- Once he was released in 1990 he participated in the eradication of apartheid and in 1994 became the first black president of South Africa, under which he formed a multiethnic government to oversee the country’s transition. He also remained devoted champion for peace and social justice in his own nation and around the world until he died in 2013.
Agreeing on a definition of restorative justice has proved difficult. One definition is a theory of justice that focuses mostly on repairing the harm caused by criminal behaviour. The reparation is done through a cooperative process that includes all the stakeholders. Restorative justice can also be explained as an approach of justice that aims to satisfy the needs of the victims and offenders, as well as the entire community. The most broadly accepted definition for restorative justice, however, is a process whereby all the parties that have a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve on how to deal with the aftermath. This process is largely focused around reparation, reintegration and participation of victims. That is to say, it is a victim-centred approach to criminal justice, and it perceives crime differently than the adversarial system of justice.
Apartheid, as occurred in South Africa, highlights how dignity—while something individuals recognize as being inherent to us as humans—can be stripped away through legal means, and then normalized in society, both on a national and international level. This essay will examine the context in which Apartheid occurred and the human right violations during this period under the National Party regime. Expanding off this analysis, I will review how effect South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission was in reestablishing the dignity of victims, and stabilizing the long dichotic socioeconomic
When Mary Catherine Parris was told that I would be talking to her about restorative justice, her response was, “Is that a real thing?” (personal communication, September 23, 2015). Through this assignment I realized that restorative justice is not talked about within the criminal justice system. For both of the individuals I spoke with, the idea of restorative justice seemed like a joke. In trying to persuade them both that restorative justice is a real thing, I was met with very similar beliefs and comments from both individuals. They both believed that restorative justice would not work and believed that some aspects of the approach were completely useless (M. C. Parris, & R. Clemones, personal communication, September 23, 2015). The responses
“Awaking on Friday morning, 20 June 1913, the South African Native found himself, not actually a slave, but a pariah in the land of his birth” (Gish 18). Desmond Tutu is one of the greatest rabble-rousers for peace that there ever was. He maintains huge political and religious influences even to this day. Most people in South Africa and many more countries hear his voice. His impact on fixing the apartheid system in South Africa was a major one. This apartheid system was very segregated towards whites and blacks in South Africa. Blacks were being forced to move to so-called “homelands.” The blacks had very little land to live with such many people. These people were being oppressed only because they had a different skin color then white people. Despite growing up in the poverty of South Arica, Desmond Tutu used his religious and political influences to help black South Africans that were being segregated by the government of South Africa.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela is a renowned African leader and is known for advocating love, peace and unity. Nelson was keen for transforming a model of racial separation and oppression into an open democracy. In his time, Nelson served a significant role as former president of South Africa during the Apartheid era. Before he became a hero, he underwent overwhelming obstacles. Nelson spent 27 years in prison not for a murder or act of genocide he committed, but for standing up to his political beliefs and for fighting for the rights of his own people. Nelson Mandela is unquestionably one of the most prominent heroes to millions of people around the world and in particularly the black people of South Africa. Further, his integrity is highly regarded even by the whites. Eddie Daniels, South African Liberal Party, states that “Mr. Mandela is a good man, he can walk with kings and he can walk with beggars.”
Restorative Justice is an approach to the justice system that focuses on the needs of both the
In a speech that Archbishop Desmond Tutu presented in 2011, he raised an argument that the white people of South Africa should pay a special tax to symbolically serve to acknowledge and to compensate for the benefits they enjoyed in the past, in the Apartheid system. In accordance with the Transformative Constitution and the South African Constitution, it would be unjust to put these taxes in place for white people to pay, as a policy of our government. This Constitution’s goal is to transform our country into a non-prejudicial, equal society. By implementing such a law, it would contradict what our Constitution is trying to achieve. We should question whether this possible argument would be justifiable or not in order to fix our past and make up for what the black people lost and what effects it would have on the future generations of South Africa.
It can be easily stated that the apartheid movement bestowed cruel and unusual punishments upon the people of South Africa, in order to execute its purpose. However, apartheid could have not been carried out if they were not individuals who believed in its principles. In order to understand the National parties ideologies regarding the issue of apartheid, it is essential to acknowledge the history of Boer soc...
Mr. Nelson Mandela as peace maker struggle to reinstate the apartheid rule of South Africa with multi-racial democracy, During
I was treated well in prison; security guards grew a certain respect for me. I decided not to waste my time, so I informed my cellmates about the apartheid, and their horrible laws. They listened attentively, and wanted to help, so together we organized hunger strikes and protests. After 27 years, on February 11, 1990 I was released from jail. I could’ve got out of jail in 1985, P.W. Botha offered me a release but only if I would stop the armed conflict. Without a doubt, I chose to stay in prison because I believed that the right thing to do was to put an end to apartheid. P.W. Botha was an evil man, he committed to state terrorism and to thwart black majority rule. He had a stroke in 1989 and Frederick Willem replaced Botha. Frederick on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Botha. He set me free from jail.”