Healing Through Acknowledgment: The Role of Naturalistic Restorative Justice and Twentieth Century Genocide Recovery

Authors

Julia R. Swirbalus, Bridgewater State UniversityFollow

Abstract

This article defines and explores the application of restorative justice principles in the context of twentieth century genocide acknowledgments. The genocides used as case studies in this article include the Holocaust, Cambodian genocide, and Rwandan genocide. This article examines how survivors have utilized restorative practices to facilitate healing, the importance of historical site preservation, and governments acknowledging their wrongdoings. The importance of acknowledgment and making amends to facilitate healing is highlighted throughout the article. The findings underscore the complexity of applying restorative justice to genocide and the necessity of proper acknowledgment for true reconciliation and healing to occur. This article discusses the timeline of the formation of the concept of restorative justice in comparison to the timeline of these genocides occurring while exploring the need of naturalistic healing.

Note on the Author

Ms. Julia R. Swirbalus is pursuing her Master of Science in Criminal Justice focusing in Trauma and Victim Studies at Bridgewater State University. She wrote this article for her Restorative Justice class with one of her mentors, Professor Stephen Simms (Criminal Justice) and was encouraged to publish it by her other mentor Dr. Jamie Huff (Criminal Justice). She hopes to be a professor.

Recommended Citation

Swirbalus, Julia R. (2025) Healing Through Acknowledgment: The Role of Naturalistic Restorative Justice and Twentieth Century Genocide Recovery. The Graduate Review, 10.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/grad_rev/vol10/iss1/7