Summary
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South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC) was based on two key concepts: truth telling and restorative justice. This study investigated whether degrees of admission of truth and types of justice (retributive and restorative) make a difference to perceptions of fairness at truth commission settings. University students (n=18) were tested on perceptions of fairness, belief in a just world, and forgiveness. As forgiveness was also integral to TRC, scales investigating personal forgiveness were also included. As well, Belief in a Just World, a belief where people believe good things happen to good people, is included. Analyses revealed that participants were more willing to forgive when an apology was offered. Restorative justice lessened feelings towards the offender's prison term and encouraged community service participation. (author's abstract)
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