The article touched on the overarching purpose of restorative justice, which is to offer more options that fill the gaps left by the current justice system. As mentioned in the article, people who experience SA or IPV often do not feel satisfied by the outcomes of the justice system. Whether it is because the person who caused the harm did not get the punishment the person harmed thought was fair, they are retraumatized by the court process, unacknowledged/minimized trauma, or they were not awarded the opportunity to get the answers or acknowledgment they seek to help to move on and heal.
Furthermore, cases of IPV involve parties with an established relationship. It often goes unreported due to fears of reprisal, loss of financial stability/disruption in lives/citizenship, breaking up a family, etc. Restorative justice offers the opportunity for those who have been harmed to have a voice, get the services they need to be independent, balance the scale of control, and even mend relationships with oversight of accountability requirements.
Taking a multi-agency approach to IPV can result in a more efficient response and promote better community and law enforcement relationships. Deploying an IPV task force would allow for personnel who are more specially trained to respond to these cases. As mentioned in the article, DV calls are the most dangerous for law enforcement. An IPV task force appropriately trained to mediate, de-escalate, and administer services, resources, and restorative justice approaches can result in better outcomes. Furthermore, a task force would administer immediate care upon a call, reducing the trauma and the need to retell the incident to multiple agencies. This would also allow more streamlined communication between service providers. Having an efficient process and dedicated personnel to specific cases creates efficiency, rapport, and ultimately, satisfactory outcomes. This can also help to reduce the cycle of violence by addressing whole family needs.
I have attached a proposal I wrote in one of my graduate classes on a program implementation for victim advocates to be dispatched with law enforcement. I deleted some fluff but there are references for some good reading material on advocating immediate responses to trauma and the physiological reactions to trauma. (I'll paste it here if you don't want to read it all).
Herman, J. L. (2023). Truth and repair: How trauma survivors envision justice. Basic Books.
Herman, S. (2010). Parallel justice for victims of crime. National Center for Victims of Crime
Shalev, A. Y. (2002). Treating survivors in the acute aftermath of traumatic events. U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs. Treating Survivors in the Acute Aftermath of Traumatic Events - PTSD: National Center for PTSD (va.gov)
Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of
trauma. Penguin Books.
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Leslie Di Biase
Placer County Juvenile Probation
Rocklin CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-15-2024 12:31
From: Julia Feldman
Subject: Restorative Reflections: Your Weekly RJ Update, August 14, 2024
This article illustrates that RJ can meet needs of victims/survivors much better than traditional court. It shows how court can strip people of their agency and power, but RJ processes put people back in charge of their healing with timelines that work for them.
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Julia Feldman
Executive Director
Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz CA
Original Message:
Sent: 08-14-2024 18:03
From: Heather Blair
Subject: Restorative Reflections: Your Weekly RJ Update, August 14, 2024
Hi RJTP Working Group members,
See the following stories about advocates speaking about the merits of RJ for SA and why it should be offered, as well as a multi-agency approach to IPV via an IPV Taskforce.
Post your thoughts and reflections . Please share suggestions for how we can consider insights from the article into our toolkit.
If you see something you think would benefit the group, please share it with me!
Looking forward to seeing your Restorative Reflections.
Best,
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Heather Blair
Restorative Justice Grant Specialist
California District Attorneys Association
Sacramento CA
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