Contemporary transitional justice mechanisms can increase legitimacy across three axes: the source of their authority, the procedure by which they are created, and the substance of the norms they promulgate. In order to strengthen the legitimacy of the source of their authority, these institutions should affirm norms opposing mass violence that are endogenous rather than exogenous to the affected society. This reliance on indigenous authority will help to “reconnect offenders to an awareness of their own social values and to their stake in maintaining social relationships