Restorative Justice and Violence Against Women: An Effort to Decrease the Victim-Offender Overlap and Increase Healing
In D. Halder & K. Jaishankar (Eds.)Therapeutic Jurisprudence and Overcoming Violence against Women. Hershey, PA, USA: IGI Global, 2017, 63-84.
35 Pages Posted: 3 Dec 2018
Date Written: June 15, 2017
Abstract
Opposition to using restorative justice to address violence against women mainly concerns the fear that women will be re-victimized if they engage with men who endangered them. While law enforcement and criminal justice approaches are necessary to address violence against women, women’s choices about when and how to use law enforcement and prosecution to address violence against them, should be respected. Exclusive criminalization of violence against women has not protected many and has further harmed marginalized and Black people. To address intimate partner violence, victims’ needs for healing must be met including when the victim-offender overlap applies and an offender is also a victim. Ignoring healing perpetuates violence. Applying restorative justice and its foundational questions, during direct meetings between victims and offenders, or when they meet separately, can address the victim-offender overlap, reduce reliance on punishment, and increase healing.
Keywords: victim-offender overlap, reentry circle, public health approaches to violence, restorative justice, prison nation, family group conferencing, gender justice, informal social control, Florynce Kennedy, Beth Richie, Dorothy Roberts, Howard Zehr
JEL Classification: I, K
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation