This publication was designed to be a practical resource for journalists, media institutions, and others following transitional justice developments in Africa and elsewhere. It was produced by the BBC World Service Trust and the International Center for Transitional Justice as part of their "Communicating Justice" project, which aims to raise public awareness and debate around transitional justice (TJ) issues in five post-conflict African countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. The Handbook is not meant to be an exhaustive guide, but rather a useful, quick-reference manual on transitional justice issues.

According to the publication, the key to engendering effective and broad participation in transitional justice is to provide accurate information and facilitate deeper understanding. In most transitional country contexts, the media is the primary, and often only, channel of communication and public information. The more informed, accurate, and independent the media is about important transitional justice issues, the better equipped citizens are to become involved in the process, even if only as informed bystanders. The publication provides background information on transitional justice, and explores processes like prosecutions, truth commissions, and other forms of transitional justice. It also discusses crosscutting themes, such as amnesties, women, and children.