Introduction to Alternative Justice

This course is brought to you by One Future Collective. One Future Collective is a feminist social purpose organisation with a vision of a world built on social justice, led by communities of care. We fight for each person’s right to live a life of safety, dignity, and belongingness by catalysing people’s power and building just institutions.

The term ‘justice’ is a multi-faceted concept and has many different meanings and ways in which it has been understood and described. The course “Introduction to Alternative Justice” is designed to comprehensively explore alternative justice [AJ] through real-life global and Indian examples, shedding light on community accountability and the practical implementation of alternative justice forms. It delves into the nuances of AJ, its history, and theories and situates its relevance in today’s world. A core focus is on the types of AJ such as Restorative Justice, Transformative Justice, Community Justice, and Therapeutic Justice with global and Indian case studies of each to understand the implementation of applying AJ in real life. Further, the course delves into the limitations and criticisms of AJ, reclaiming accountability and addressing the differences between compensation and reparations. It discusses decolonized accountability, acknowledgment, and its linkages to AJ.

Through this course, learners will be able to:

1. Explore the different conceptions of justice with a focus on alternative justice;
2. Understand the limitations of traditional justice systems;
3. Unpack the meaning of alternative justice and understand its practical applications in different parts of the world;
4. Engage with its benefits, challenges, and criticisms;
5. And understand the role of accountability and responsibility in practising alternative justice.

Please note that these courses are an attempt by One Future Collective to provide information in an open-access format and that they are made with very low budgets.