TY - JOUR
T1 - Genocide, Justice, and Rwanda's Gacaca Courts
AU - Nyseth Brehm, Hollie
AU - Uggen, Christopher
AU - Gasanabo, Jean Damascène
PY - 2014/8
Y1 - 2014/8
N2 - More than one million people participated in the 1994 genocide against the Rwandan Tutsi. How did Rwanda, whose criminal justice infrastructure was decimated by the genocide, attempt to bring the perpetrators to justice? In this article, we provide the first analysis of the outcomes of the gacaca courts, a traditional community-based justice system that was greatly modified to address crimes of genocide. After briefly reviewing the creation of the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions, we explain the court process. Then, we present an overview of the outcomes of the courts with a focus on the specific sanctions given to those found guilty. This article provides the first systematic analysis of these sanctions, contributing both an empirical overview and new insights into how Rwanda attempted to bring justice to the many citizens who took part in the genocidal violence. We conclude by briefly highlighting some successes and failures of the gacaca system and its broader lessons for justice in other contexts.
AB - More than one million people participated in the 1994 genocide against the Rwandan Tutsi. How did Rwanda, whose criminal justice infrastructure was decimated by the genocide, attempt to bring the perpetrators to justice? In this article, we provide the first analysis of the outcomes of the gacaca courts, a traditional community-based justice system that was greatly modified to address crimes of genocide. After briefly reviewing the creation of the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions, we explain the court process. Then, we present an overview of the outcomes of the courts with a focus on the specific sanctions given to those found guilty. This article provides the first systematic analysis of these sanctions, contributing both an empirical overview and new insights into how Rwanda attempted to bring justice to the many citizens who took part in the genocidal violence. We conclude by briefly highlighting some successes and failures of the gacaca system and its broader lessons for justice in other contexts.
KW - Rwanda
KW - courts
KW - genocide
KW - punishment
KW - restorative justice
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U2 - 10.1177/1043986214536660
DO - 10.1177/1043986214536660
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84904005289
VL - 30
SP - 333
EP - 352
JO - Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
JF - Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
SN - 1043-9862
IS - 3
ER -