This thread really gets at the way amateur restorative justice processes very often become about rape apologism and protecting perpetrators—while pushing survivors out of the community they never hurt in any way.
Nicole Bedera
A major failing of restorative justice when it's taken out of its original context (which is as an alternative to carceral systems) is that abusers often have way more energy to spend on staying in communities that enable them than victims have for staying in communities where they're not safe.
For restorative justice to work:
- It must be truly voluntary for the survivor—which means there must be other options available too.
- The perpetrator must confess.
- There must be recognition of the power imbalance between victim and perpetrator. It is not just a fancy mediation session.
