Is Restorative Justice for Sexual Crime Compatible with Various Criminal Justice Systems?

Abstract

There is a need for restorative justice as another method of addressing sexual crime. An analysis of the limits of the criminal justice system and the need for restorative justice in the contentious area of sexual crime will be followed by a detailed examination of key justice considerations when trying to marry both criminal justice and restorative justice perspectives. Such considerations include: the meaning of justice; legislation; sentencing principles; due process; victims' rights; and the location of restorative justice within/alongside/outside the criminal justice system. The aim here is to determine whether it is possible to reconcile two methods of justice delivery in the context of sexual crime in order to create a hybrid system of justice that protects and responds to the rights and needs of victims and offenders.European CommissionDaphne II