Justicia Restaurativa: un modelo para construir comunidad

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present Restorative Justice and its most relevant characteristics. First, it points out its special interest in the social dimension of the crime, which permits a criticism of and contrast with the penal model and the modern legal rationale. Then, examples are given of an experience which has been taking place in the Aguablanca community for the Fundación Paz y Bien, in association with the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Cali. This experience has enabled the in situ exploration of the psychosocial dimensions of the conflict, and especially what we have called the cultural factors of violence, which in this case are linked to certain values and identity-related images. At the end a hypothesis is put forward that links social and psychological dimensions of conflict and violence.