Restorative Justice for Sexual Violence Offences in England and Wales: The Challenges Ahead
| Published date | 01 October 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/25166069231178573 |
| Author | Philip Anthony Cawley,Stephanie Kewley,Lol Burke,Nadia Wager |
| Date | 01 October 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Research Note |
Restorative Justice
for Sexual Violence
Offences in England
and Wales: The
Challenges Ahead
Philip Anthony Cawley1, Stephanie Kewley2,
Lol Burke3 and Nadia Wager4
Abstracts
While an increased number of restorative justice (RJ) cases involving sexual
violence are observed across England and Wales, the extent and scope of its
use remain unclear. This article presents the findings of a brief survey distrib-
uted amongst RJ practitioners across England and Wales which aimed to under-
stand the use of RJ in cases of sexual violence. We found that while RJ is widely
used in such cases, a comprehensive national picture remains unknown. We found
problems both collating and analysing the data because of definitional differences,
varying organizational recording mechanisms (within and between organizations
and geographical boundaries) plus a lack of national direction across the criminal
justice system. We call for the development of a sound evidence base that will
promote and support the use of RJ for cases involving sexual violence.
Keywords
Restorative justice, sexual violence, criminal justice, data recording
What Is Restorative Justice (RJ)?
Despite academic debate regarding an agreed definition of RJ, it is principally based
around dialogue between the person who has caused harm and the person who has
Research Note
Journal of Victimology
and Victim Justice
6(2) 208–216, 2023
2023 National Law
University Delhi
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/25166069231178573
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1
School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
2
Reader in Forensic Psychology, School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool,
United Kingdom
3
School of Justice Studies, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
4
Department of Psychology, Teeside University, Middlesborough, United Kingdom
Corresponding author:
Philip Anthony Cawley, School of Psychology, James Parson Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3
3AF, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
E-mail: P.A.Cawley@2019.ljmu.ac.uk
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