The Politics of Shame, Stigma and Gender: Implications for Restorative Justice Conferencing with Justice-Involved Girls

Abstract

Feminist engagement with restorative justice (RJ) have tended to neglect the importance of gendered factors relevant to RJ interventions used with women and girls who offend. This article begins to address this gap in knowledge and presents findings from qualitative research with offending girls who participated in a RJ conference, a group whose voices are seldom heard, and RJ practitioners. Focusing on the key themes of shame and stigma, the article critically explores how the macro-social processes underpinning stigmatization and the gendered politics of shame can produce harmful implications for girls participating in RJ conferences within an offender capacity.