revision of Unit Discussion post 1-10

“Say more about what might be a disadvantage from the victims viewpoint” by instructor

Discussion Post Seven

Question Six: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a restorative justice approach to intimate partner violence?

Restorative justice, as an approach to solving intimate partner violence, entails bring together the victim and the offender based on their free consent in order to
resolve the matter at hand. This approach has several advantages and disadvantages when attempting to address intimate partner violence. The potential benefits of
restorative justice are in terms of material, moral, and symbolic outcomes because they attempt to repair the harm and facilitate the healing process (Latimer et al.,
2005). The first advantage of this approach is that it its goal is to provide justice based on a solution achieved by both parties. By summoning the victim and the
offender on the basis of their free consent, it is possible to find a long-term solution since the conditions are set and agreed by the parties involved in the
intimate partner violence. Second, restorative justice constitutes different approaches, such as victim-offender mediation, circles, and family group conferencing,
which facilitate dialogue. Thus, the informal dialogue-based practices of the restorative justice can play a role in addressing domestic violence and the social harms
that are inflicted on the victims. Third, restorative justice emphasizes emotional responses to all forms of intimate partner violence based on its discursive nature
(Cheon & Regehr, 2006). The purpose of emotionality is to ensure that emotions that lead to remorse, apology, and forgiveness are elicited.

Despite illustrating a number of advantages, restorative justice can be disadvantageous depending on the sincerity of the parties involved. At the outset, offenders in
intimate partner violence can demonstrate the tendency to alternate between violent, abusive, and apologetic behavior. This is because they have the habit of providing
sincere promises to change and can act in pleasant ways when in fact they do not mean it (Cheon & Regehr, 2006). Another potential disadvantage of restorative justice
is its failure to protect offenders from stigmatization from society even after they reconcile with victims (Latimer et al., 2005). It would become difficult for
individuals in society to fully accept ex-offenders of crimes such as nonfatal intimate partner violence to reintegrate to society seamlessly without being labeled and
associated with crimes they committed to their intimate partners.

References

Cheon, A., & Regehr, C. (2006). Restorative Justice Models in cases of intimate partner violence: Reviewing the evidence. Victims and Offenders, 1(4), 369-394.

Latimer, J., Dowden, C., & Muise, D. (2005). The effectiveness of restorative justice practices: A meta-analysis. The Prison Journal, 85(2), 127-144.

this is a Discussion post for ‘CRJS 491’, Offender Rehabilitation (Rev. A1), it is a Criminal Justice course offered at Athabasca University . I will upload the
questions and course material. You can use as many references as you want, as long as it is from the recommended readings .