Transitional justice alternatives: claims and counterclaims

How do transitional justice mechanisms contribute to peace and democracy after authoritarian rule or violent conflict has ended? This chapter examines current theoretical and empirical knowledge on impact assessment in the field of transitional justice and peacebuilding. It identifies the frequently contradictory claims regarding trials, truth commissions, victims’ reparations, and amnesty laws in terms of their expected impacts on peace and democracy. Considering qualitative and quantitative evidence, the chapter concludes that empirical knowledge of transitional justice impact is still patchy and inconclusive, in part due to scholars’ neglect of context in their evaluations of transitional justice processes.