Restorative Justice and Sexual Harm

The following media shows restorative justice at work in the realm of sexual harm, various sources evaluate the effectiveness of restorative justice, some offer first-hand accounts of the process working, and others simply explain what restorative justice in sexual harm is.

For information specific to college campuses and sexual harm refer to Restorative Justice and Sexual Misconduct on College Campuses.

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Journal Publications: Restorative Justice and Sexual Harm

“I Am a Different Man Now”—Sex Offenders in Circles of Support and Accountability: A Prospective Study

Written by Mechtild Höing, Bas Vogelvang, and Stefan Bogaerts, this discusses COSA, it highlights the strategies used to improve agency. The study concludes that for successful outcomes high quality supervision and coaching of circles is needed.

https://journals-sagepub-com.libpdb.d.umn.edu:2443/doi/pdf/10.1177/0306624X15612431

The RESTORE Program of Restorative Justice for Sex Crimes: Vision, Process, and Outcomes

Mary Koss discusses and evaluates the RESTORE program, an RJ conferencing program for sexual assault. She highlights reasons for choosing the program, preparation, satisfaction, and outcomes.

https://journals-sagepub-com.libpdb.d.umn.edu:2443/doi/pdf/10.1177/0886260513511537

'I Just Wanted Him to Hear Me': Sexual Violence and the Possibilities of Restorative Justice

Written by Clare McGlynn, Nicole Westmarland and Nikki Godden, this journal article explores possibilities for resotrative justice while acknowledging the criticisms restorative justice for sexual assault encounters. It further communicates the availability that restorative justice has to provide some form of justice and healing.

https://www-jstor-org.libpdb.d.umn.edu:2443/stable/23257083?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

News Article Publications: Restorative Justice and Sexual Harm

Various news outlets have begun to uncover the possibilities of rj and sexual harm.

There’s A Better Way To Get Justice For Sexual Assault Survivors by Alanna Vagianos covering an interview with Mary Koss

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/theres-a-better-way-to-get-justice-for-sexual-assault-survivors_n_5f6e0673c5b61af20e74e24d?guccounter=1  

A Different Path for Confronting Sexual Assault by Sujatha Baliga 

https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/10/10/17953016/what-is-restorative-justice-definition-questions-circle

‘What I had to say mattered’ — how can we provide justice for sexual assault victims beyond criminal trials? by Bernadette McSherry and Nesam McMillan

https://theconversation.com/what-i-had-to-say-mattered-how-can-we-provide-justice-for-sexual-assault-victims-beyond-criminal-trials-150075

'I do forgive him as a human': Rape victim confronts her attacker in restorative justice process by Brooklyn Neustaeter

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/i-do-forgive-him-as-a-human-rape-victim-confronts-her-attacker-in-restorative-justice-process-1.4665519

Videos: Restorative Justice and Sexual Harm

Restoring Justice: Repairing the Harm After Sexual Assault

In her Ted Talk, Gretchen Casey addresses the differences between the criminal justice system and the restorative justice system. She highlights that the criminal justice system falls short on recognizing the needs of the parties. She adds that the restorative system encourages harming persons to be held accountable and feel empathy for their actions. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGzjM1JEbwo

The Promise of Restorative Dialogue for Surrogates in Sexual Harming Cases

https://youtu.be/U1pTMWAcJyI

This 43 minute video interview reviews a facilitated dialogue process that took place in 2016. Survivor Mary Gossett talks about her experience of going through a restorative process with harmed and harming surrogates of separate cases.

How A Sexual Assault Survivor Found Justice Outside The Courtroom

This video offers a first-hand survivor's opinion on her sexual assault and journey through the justice system. She highlights how a restorative approach was very healing for her. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dfyvGV1hkM

 

Restorative Justice for Sex Offenders

Alissa Ackerman, in this Ted Talk, discusses laws that are meant to protect communities from sexual harm and how most fall short on doing such by further disconnecting people from communities. She offers restorative justice as an alternative and adds that her support for restorative justice comes from a personal assault and involvement as a facilitator. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEoI7pJ0J-8

Seminars: Restorative Justice and Sexual Harm

Restorative Justice and Sexual Violence

Through a brief introduction to what restorative justice is and a further discussion of what restorative justice for sexual looks like, Sujatha Baliga and Chel Miller address oppositions and highlight benefits of restorative processes. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz0HkHICwU8

 

Survivor Built Justice: Restorative & Transformative Justice and Sexual Violence

This webinar focuses on supporting survivors how they want and increasing justice options for survivors. It encourages focusing on how people feel and what they need. Presented by Ryun Anderson. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjIc9nJv3KQ

 

How do we use Restorative Justice to transform a culture of sexual harm?

Hosted by Johonna Turner with guests Nuri Nusrat, Jenny Poretz and Robert Howard, the question of how restorative justice can be used to change the culture of sexual harm is addressed. They focus on terminology, stories, and big-takeaways that come from using restorative justice for sexual harm. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYCsWBK5za4