A reinterpretation of restorative justice through Black and Native feminisms.

Source: (2014) Thesis. Degree of Master of Science. University of Oregon.

This thesis seeks to reorient the ideological foundations of restorative justice
through feminist epistemologies in order to explore possibilities of how the movement
might more fully actualize its values. The Three Pillars of Restorative Justice,
conceptualized by Howard Zehr, offer an alternative process to the punitive recourse of
the criminal justice system and serve as the foundation of mainstream restorative
practices. However, the praxis and analytical discourse have stalled due to the limited
binary of criminal and restorative justice frameworks. My thesis uses methodologies
prominent in Black/Native feminisms– such as critical thinking, contextual intelligence,
and imagining futurity– to complicate assumptions embedded in the criminal/restorative
justice relationship. I establish the framework of restorative justice and briefly
summarize the essential paradoxes to make clear the parallels and limits of the
relationship. I then use feminist methodologies to reinterpret the pillars’ values and
introduce how some activists have begun to reimagine justice. (author’s abstract)