Both researchers and the general public typically understand forgiveness as a sacrificing of justice, a "loosening of justice standards in order to permit mercy" (Exline & Baumeister, 2000, p. 147). In other words, people forsake justice concerns when they forgive others. My research in this domain argues against the assumed mutual exclusivity between justice and forgiveness. We argue that, instead of sacrificing justice, the act of forgiveness may itself be a way help repair a victim’s sense of justice, leading the victim to be less punitive, less avoidant, and more conciliatory to the offender. From this perspective, forgiveness is far from incompatible with justice; rather, forgiveness is an integral part of the justice-restoration process that can actually promote justice and reconciliation.
