The mediation process at the Centre for Housing Peace is based on the theory of restorative justice. Restorative justice emphasises the right and importance of the parties' involvement in handling and resolving the matter. Sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the parties being at the centre of handling the conflict situation.
The roots of restorative justice lie in the community-based conflict resolution practices of many indigenous peoples. The ideology's European proponent was the Norwegian criminologist Nils Christie, who wrote the article "Conflicts as Property" in the 1970s. In Western countries, restorativeness began to be promoted as an alternative to traditional justice.
Restorative mediation is not intended to find culprits, but rather common interests, through which solutions to conflict situations can be found. The absolute benefit of ideology is that situations that could not otherwise be dealt with can be addressed. For example, in neighbour mediation, neighbours may remember an event differently and have no evidence to support their views. This is a so-called "he said, she said" situation, in which mediation can shift from talking about events to, for example, the level of discussing feelings and needs, and thereby shift the focus of the discussion to the future. The mediator does not act as a judge at the event, nor do they take sides for right or wrong. However, the process guides the parties to confront each other and the situation in a controlled manner, and can lead to the discovery of common interests or otherwise promote the restoration of peaceful cohabitation.
The implementation of restorative justice
In a restorative mediation process, the mediator's impartiality, dialogue-based discussion, confidentiality, and future orientation are emphasised. For instance, the mediator will not disclose anything heard from one neighbour to another without their prior agreement, meaning that discussions with the mediator are confidential. Mediation often addresses the past, but at the same time focuses on the future.
The principles of restorative justice can be applied alongside traditional mediation processes. For example, the Centre for Housing Peace has developed community mediation and community dialogue processes that address the interests of a wider residential community or area.
