Trauma Informed, Victim Initiated, Victim Focused RJ after Serious Harm

An increasing number of studies demonstrate the prevalence and understand of trauma and how it works. It is therefore not surprising that "trauma-informed practice" is gaining momentum in areas such as health, education, and legal services. While the concept has also found its way into restorative justice discourses a common argument is that restorative justice has always been inherently trauma-informed and therefore the theory and practice of restorative justice does not require adaptations in light of emerging knowledge. But is this really the case? In this first part of this presentation, we examine this assumption. We also outline the implications of recent scholarship on trauma-informed practice for the theory and practice of restorative justice. When restorative justice emerged in the early 1990s it was offered mainly to youth rather than adult offenders, and serious interpersonal crime was largely excluded. Much of the early research focused on its efficacy to reduce youth offending and the practices were largely diversionary, and offender focused. Not enough examined the victim experience. To what extent these practice and research legacies impede societal acceptance of restorative justice for adult crime involving serious harm against the person is examined in the second part of the presentation. Using sexual crime perpetrated by adults against child or adult victims this presentation considers the role of victim initiated, victim focused, restorative justice in the case of adult victims and offenders and considers its implications for the theory and practice of restorative justice and the potential benefits of such change in thinking.