Source: (2006) Washington and Lee Law Review. 63(4):1693-1741.
This Note proposes that the best way to break this cycle would be for
the Church and the offending priests to meet with the victims and settle the
problems outside of the judicial system. Though victims could turn to any
method of alternative dispute resolution, restorative justice could provide the
most successful model. Restorative justice brings together the victims, the
offenders, and the community to talk about the harm and to come to a mutually
agreeable remedy, while focusing on compassion, rehabilitation, and
equalization of the power imbalance among the parties. Thus, this Note
suggests that victims and the Church should consider the benefits of applying a
restorative justice approach to the particular problems of clergy sexual abuse. (excerpt)
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