Little Book of Environment and Restorative Justice

A restorative approach to environmental justice.

This little book discusses paths to address environmental conflicts based on a restorative justice perspective of imagining, practicing, and living justice. It proposes an approach that understands the relationship between humankind and environment beyond the narrow conception of homo economicus, considering the human beings in their social, political, economic, historic, spiritual, cognitive, emotional, aesthetic, and ecological dimensions, as well as in their connection with nature and non-human entities.

When applied to environmental problematics, restorative justice needs to widen its perspective beyond an anthropocentric worldview, transcending the interpretation that human beings are the exclusively subjects of dignity, rights, needs, and speech capability. It is necessary to dilate horizons towards non-human entities and the natural spaces we inhabit and with whom we are deeply connected. This dilation should stimulate justice experiences that integrate building peace, sustainability, and good living, beyond ideas such as unlimited economic growth and even sustainable development. To this end, a restorative conception of justice implies an expanded understanding of justice that faces structural, cultural, institutional, and historical violence, as well as deals with intergenerational responsibility that integrate the present generations to those of the past in order to build the desired future for the generations to come.

Nirson Medeiros da Silva Neto is associate professor at the Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA), Brazil, where integrates the Amazon Restorative Justice Clinic (CJUÁ), as well as research scholar at Governors State University in Chicago, United States.

Josineide Gadelha Pamplona Medeiros is judge at the Court of Justice of Pará, Brazil, where she leads the State Coordination of Restorative Justice and a Judicial Center for Conflict Resolution and Citizenship.

João Salm is associate professor of criminal justice at Governors State University (GSU), Chicago. PhD in Justice from Arizona State University, US, and masters degree in Public Administration from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Edward C. Valandra, Ph.D., is Sicangu Titunwan, born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation. He received his B.A. in chemistry from Mankato State University, his M.A. in political science (public policy) from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and his Ph.D. in American Studies (Native Studies concentration) from SUNY-Buffalo.