ABSTRACT
Due to the problematic and retraumatizing treatment of women who are victims of gendered forms of violence, namely sexual assault and domestic violence, these women are considering alternative means of obtaining justice and confronting their violators. Restorative justice is being put forward in some cases as a more humane approach that puts the victim’s needs first. This form of justice, with roots in both Indigenous forms of conflict resolution and Mennonite restitution for wrongdoing, is making inroads in school systems, correctional institutions, juvenile justice, and child welfare in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. This chapter discusses how it works in its various forms—victim–offender conferencing, healing circles, and family group conferencing. In the wake of the Me Too movement, restorative justice has been put forward in the United States as a new, and in some cases better, approach to dealing with sexual violence—one that puts the victim’s needs first. The relevance to racial and ethnic minorities is explored in this chapter as well as feminist contributions and criticisms of the use of restorative justice in situations of rape and domestic violence. Priority is given to personal narratives as well as evidence-based research.
