Ending Sexual Violence Through Transformative Justice
Date
2018
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Minnesota
Abstract
Sexual violence is used to maintain what Dr. Riane Eisler (1990) conceptualizes as the dominator model of society. The early days of the feminist anti-violence movement focused on changing the dominator model, but, in part, this focus was co-opted by seeking criminal justice solutions, contributing to punitive responses and mass incarceration that have been ineffective in ending sexual violence. The racist history of the rape charge and its disproportionate effect on people of color, an effect that continues today. Legislators have passed draconian laws that
uniquely appl
y
to anyone convicted of a sex offense, the
defini
tion of which
has been
broadened to encompass harmless behavior.
A
separate legal regime for sex
offenders that isolates them from society and marks them for life as monsters obfuscates the causes of
sexual violence and contributes to the problem.
T
he femi
nist anti
-
violence movement remains
influential
, though little recognized,
in today’s efforts to respond to sexual violence through restorative
justice and transformative justice.
A
number of groups have adopted the RJ/TJ model, in particular
women of colo
r.
The article
provides e
xamples of successful and unsuccessful
implementation of RJ/TJ
and discusses
i
mpediments to wider adoption of this approach.
RJ/TJ is a promising alternative to the
current criminal justice response to sexual assault, one that will
bring us closer to a partnership culture
Description
item.page.type
Article
item.page.format
Keywords
Research Review, Implementation, Sexual Violence, Sexual Assault, Rape, Criminal Justice System, Restorative Justice, Transformative Justice, Racism, Mass Incarceration, Alternatives to Incarceration, Sex Crimes, Consequences, Survivors, Victims, Accountability, Victim Safety, Women of Color
Citation
Armatta, Judith. (2018). Ending Sexual Violence Through Transformative Justice. Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies: 5(1), Article 4. https://doi.org / 10.24926/ijps.v5i1.915