Many have called to hear directly from the survivor-victim (SV) of sexual violence regarding their wants and needs after enduring this harmful experience. We previously reported on broad SV needs, perceptions of the extent needs are met, and criminal legal system (CLS) experiences. This qualitative study used the same sample (N = 11 CLS utilisers and 10 non-utilisers). After an overview of criminal, civil and restorative justice models, participants viewed a brief presentation on restorative justice conferencing. Following it, all participants were asked about their reactions to restorative justice conferencing. The analytic approach used computer-assisted qualitative data (CAQDA) analysis and ATLAS.ti software. The major finding was that reactions to restorative justice conferencing were mixed and were linked with prior CLS experiences and crime characteristics. A convergence of opinion unfolded wherein initial detractors became more positive about how restorative justice conferencing could help some people, if not themselves. Despite hesitancy or insufficient knowledge to fully endorse restorative justice conferencing as an avenue to improve CLS experience, ultimately all SVs believed it should be an available option. The results have implications for broader education on restorative justice in communities to support implementation of alternative justice options, particularly restorative justice conferencing.

This article describes the concept of a restorative university, an organisation that embraces restorative justice principles and practices. The article reviews the emergence of contemporary restorative justice; a framework for restorative justice in higher education; implementation in student affairs; the place of restorative justice in academic affairs; restorative justice and organisational culture; what we know about campus implementation, including results of a survey of universities; and suggestions for practical next steps for higher education institutions to become more restorative. Wherever possible, the article references restorative applications globally but predominantly focuses on university campuses in the United States.

This article discusses conflict mediation as an addition to community police work. After contextualising our topic within the scientific literature about restorative justice and restorative policing, the article presents six in-depth cases involving neighbour disputes, a street fight, domestic violence and non-consensual sharing of nude images. Our action-oriented research aims to describe the mediation sessions and evaluate them in light of three core principles of restorative justice. The conflicting parties must (a) voluntarily enter into a dialogue, and during this dialogue, the mediator needs to (b) address their individual needs and (c) promote healing, repair and restoration. We conclude that it is challenging to apply these principles fully in everyday practices of mediation in a community policing context. First, the symbolic dimension of police authority may sometimes have played a role in bringing conflicting parties together voluntarily, where previous attempts had failed. Second, in one case, the underaged victim and the offender were represented by their parents, leaving the protagonists’ needs out of the equation. Finally, we did not witness full healing and restoration in any of the cases. Instead, the mediator and the conflicting parties tried to arrive at pragmatic conflict resolution based on individual needs.