Restorative justice as a civic practice

This editorial argues that restorative justice should be understood not merely as a set of practices for responding to harm, but as a civic practice grounded in relational ethics. Drawing on a year of scholarly engagement across Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe, the article develops a conceptual account of restorative justice as a way of knowing, governing and sustaining civic life in contexts of deep social fracture. Through reflections on collaborative knowledge production, territorial peace negotiations in Colombia, restorative governance in Singaporean prisons and schools, and debates within restorative justice scholarship, the article advances three interrelated claims. First, restorative justice constitutes a relational epistemology that resists closure and centres dialogue, plurality and co-creation. Second, civility is reconceptualised as a moral ecology rather than a matter of politeness: a disciplined relational practice that enables accountability without humiliation and disagreement without dehumanisation. Third, the legitimacy of restorative justice depends on the cultivation of civic virtues—humility, curiosity and courage—at both interpersonal and institutional levels. The article concludes by positioning restorative justice as a form of relational governance capable of renewing civic legitimacy, particularly where punitive systems have failed to deliver repair, trust or inclusion. In doing so, it offers a normative framework for understanding restorative justice as integral to the rebuilding of civic worlds rather than a peripheral alternative to punishment.