鈥淥ur goal for this learning tour was to expose the delegation to many different applications of restorative justice in the local area beyond the criminal justice system,鈥� said professor , who hosted the delegation as co-director of the . 鈥淢any in the delegation later said they were truly impressed with the potential for restorative justice to impact the whole of society.鈥�

The delegation鈥檚 visit was sponsored by with support from the United States Agency of International Development. The foundation is engaged in a long-term project to introduce and integrate restorative justice practices into the Nepali criminal justice system through training of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and law enforcement officials, said program officer Ramkanta Tiwari, who escorted the group.

The foundation also wants to establish the academy as a resource center for restorative justice in Nepal and in the larger South Asia region, Tiwari added.

Well-placed to effect change

Officials from the academy included Keshari Raj Pandit, NJA’s executive director; Bimal Poudel, registrar; and Rajan Kumar, program manager, as well as The Honorable Rajendra Kharel, judge of District Court of Lalitpur and The Honorable Devendra Gopal Shrestha, justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal.

On the first full day at 91短视频, the group attended a seminar with Stauffer, and were joined for a discussion by , who is co-director with Stauffer of the Zehr Institute of Restorative Justice. Zehr, who had visited Nepal years ago to speak about restorative justice, remarked that at that time, there was 鈥渓ittle knowledge and only marginal interest.鈥�

He found the delegation鈥檚 interest to be “inspiring,” he said. 鈥淭hey are strategically placed to encourage the implementation of restorative justice not only in Nepal but in the entire region 鈥β營t is exciting to see this level of interest and commitment now.鈥�

Truth and reconciliation discussed

Stauffer was one of the reasons the delegation visited 91短视频; he had visited Nepal in 2014 with San Francisco-based expert to present and participate at an Asian Foundation-hosted roundtable with judicial representatives from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh: this reciprocal visit was his chance to share in the hospitality and learning.

One aspect of Stauffer鈥檚 past professional experience 鈥� his 16 years working with transitional justice in Africa, including the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission 鈥� was of particular interest to the delegation.

After a decade of conflict between pro-democracy and Maoist supporters, Nepal has begun a peace process that included a transitional justice bill to bring accountability for historic harms. The government also established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission on Inquiry into Disappearances, which seeks to utilize restorative justice practices on behalf of victims and affected community members.

During an introductory circle process with Stauffer, several of the men related how learning about restorative justice had enriched and enlivened their professional engagement. Their goals, they related to Stauffer, were to learn more about how the principles could relate to their specific interests, such as juvenile justice, but also to the criminal justice system as a whole.

鈥淭here is not much room for dialogue in our system,鈥� said Poudel. 鈥淲e would like to know more about how to include that.鈥�

鈥楻J鈥� has broad applications

On the final day, the delegation met with various collaborators of Harrisonburg鈥檚 community restorative justice initiative at their various worksites. These practitioners included , of the Harrisonburg Police Department; Sue Praill, director of restorative justice at the ; and Josh Bacon, associate dean of students/student accountability and restorative practices at James Madison University.

A last tour stop was the , where program director Richi Yowell talked about how the therapeutic transitional home for formerly incarcerated men assists in easing the re-integration process back into society.

The delegation was especially interested to learn more about how government agencies collaborate with non-state entities, Tiwari said. Also of interest was the public perception of the restorative justice process, how referrals were made, and what role the facilitators took in the process, he added.

Interest was shown from both parties in the possibility of hosting Nepali judicial officials聽at 91短视频 for further training in restorative justice practices.

Tiwari expressed appreciation at the hospitality shown to the group and called the 鈥渦nmatched opportunity鈥� to meet with experts such as Stauffer and Zehr a 鈥減rofessional and personal milestone.鈥�

鈥淭here can be no better place than 91短视频, especially the , when it comes to [learning about] restorative justice,鈥� he said.

After visits to Richmond, Baltimore and Washington D.C., the group spent several days in San Francisco before returning home.

Editor’s Note: The International Justice Resource Center provides an of the Nepali constitutional process.聽 To learn more about transition justice processes in Nepal and countries around the world, visit . Read more about the peace dialogues in this article about Sujan Rai, who came to 91短视频’s 2015 to build her skills and network with other international peacebuilders.