Source: (2006) Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1087:206-234.
Rape results in mental and physical health, social, and legal
consequences. For the latter, restorative justice-based programs might
augment community response, but they generate controversy among advocates
and policy makers. This article identifies survivors’ needs and
existing community responses to them. Survivors feel their legal needs
are most poorly met due to justice system problems that can be summarized
as attrition, retraumatization, and disparate treatment across
gender, class, and ethnic lines. Empirical data support each problem and
the conclusion that present justice options are inadequate. The article
concludes by identifying common ground in advocacy and restorative
justice goals and calls for a holistic approach to the needs of rape survivors
that includes advocating for expanded justice alternatives. A call
to action is issued to implement restorative alternatives to expand survivor
choice and offender accountability. Conventional and restorative
justice are often viewed as mutually exclusive whereas the author argues
they are complementary.(author’s abstract)
Your donation helps Prison Fellowship International repair the harm caused by crime by emphasizing accountability, forgiveness, and making amends for prisoners and those affected by their actions. When victims, offenders, and community members meet to decide how to do that, the results are transformational.
Donate Now