One of the possibilities that Restorative practice opens up is that of responding to some of the complexities accompanying crime and broken agreements which the dominant justice systems are not able to contain.

An aspect of this complexity is the multiplicity of experiences those impacted by painful conflict go through. Many - if not all - of those present in the Circle may experience themselves as victims. Several may consider themselves victims of acts committed by others present.

In the search for more precise descriptions of what distinguishes those gathered in a Circle I coined the terms Author - for those that committed the act in question, Receiver - for those that bore the direct brunt of that act, and Conflict community - for those who deal with the act's indirect impact. 

These terms are not mere synonyms for the more common denominations of 'offender', 'victim' and 'supporter', but recognise the potentially multilayered experience of those gathered together, and the way they experience the distribution of harm and responsibility.

They also support us in looking through the over-simplification of fixed labels, with their tendency to reinforce stigmatization and separate people.

In this video I speak to some of these questions, seeking to clarify the way Restorative Circles offer new possibilities to allow the complexities of conflict their place and voice.