2.1. Procedural Delays, Perceptions of Inequity, and Institutional Legitimacy Deficits
The operationalization of restorative justice within the Special Jurisdiction for Peace reveals structural governance tensions between transitional legal mandates and practical administrative execution. Although the transitional model seeks to transcend traditional retributive mechanisms by prioritizing victim reparation and restorative measures, significant institutional bottlenecks undermine its procedural legitimacy. As critical assessments demonstrate, persistent procedural delays without effective sanctioning, paired with differential treatment across distinct conflict actors, foster public perceptions of inequity that challenge the core foundational pillars of the Colombian transitional architecture (La Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz en Colombia, 2025). These administrative frictions complicate the institutionalization of restorative works and community dialogues across territories affected by internal armed confrontation. Furthermore, applying restorative justice paradigms to specific macrocases highlights the operational complexity of transforming abstract reparative commitments into tangible interventions. In particular, the execution of works, tasks, and activities with restorative and reparative content, alongside private restorative encounters between victims and appearing parties, requires rigorous intersectoral coordination to prevent procedural disillusionment and guarantee meaningful victim participation (Justicia Restaurativa en la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, 2024). When the transitional tribunal experiences institutional friction between statutory mandates and local delivery mechanisms, the gap between normative aspirations and practical remediation widens significantly. Consequently, overcoming these institutional governance risks necessitates robust administrative protocols that streamline judicial proceedings, balance accountability across all appearing armed actors, and align reparative works with territorial community priorities.