Using Restorative Justice for Gendered Violence

Abstract

Criticisms of restorative justice (RJ) for gendered violence conceptualize RJ as diversion. A case study of a therapeutic postconviction RJ model for a severe case of intimate partner violence (IPV) shows that benefits manifest postconviction primarily due to the lengthy amount of time between the crime and the RJ proceeding in that victims are ready to participate and offenders have had time to develop empathy and accept responsibility. While diversionary RJ may risk more harm and fail to accommodate victims’ needs, lessons learned from postconviction RJ can contribute to the quest for more satisfying justice responses to crimes of gendered violence.