Restorative Justice: Between Law and Colonialism

This text provides a critical look at the Canadian legal system, which conceals the mechanisms of colonial violence under a mask of liberal rhetoric and procedural correctness. The authors analyze why restorative justice in its current form often fails to address transgenerational trauma and the systemic exclusion of Indigenous peoples. The article draws on John Reilly's book "Bad Medicine," using it as a starting point for a discussion of institutional ethics and the need to deconstruct Western legalism. Instead of superficial reconciliation, the text advocates for a profound shift in the penal paradigm, which currently perpetuates assimilation and marginalization rather than fostering genuine social reintegration. This is essential reading for those interested in human rights, Indigenous sovereignty, and critical legal theory in a postcolonial context.