Restorative values and confronting family violence.

Source: Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Corrections, Community and Juvenile Services Division. Downloaded 2 June 2004.

Kay Pranis has spent many years assisting victims of domestic violence and many years learning about and applying restorative justice ideas and processes. On these bases, she discusses her understanding of key principles of restorative justice. They include the following: the mutual responsibility and interdependence of individuals and communities; the importance of moral authority; the power of collective action and shared responsibility; an emphasis on problem-solving; the importance of narrative or storytelling; and the idea that the personal is the political. Pranis then lists guidelines for restorative justice practices in cases of family violence, points to examples to illustrate the potential of restorative processes, and identifies concerns that family violence scholars and advocates have with respect to restorative justice.