This study explores restorative justice (RJ) approaches to sexual violence in the Australian Capital Territory through interviews with 35 stakeholders across justice, education, community and institutional sectors.
Research shows formal RJ processes operating alongside informal practices, particularly in educational and community settings, with practitioners innovating to support survivor needs. While institutional barriers, such as risk aversion and limited resources, restrict broader implementation, there is growing recognition of the value of RJ.
The study highlights the importance of survivor agency, trauma-informed practice and cultural safety. The findings demonstrate how RJ bridges violence prevention and response, with implications for policy and practice development.
References
URLs correct as at November 2025
ACT Government 2025. Canberra as a Restorative City. https://www.justice.act.gov.au/canberra-as-a-restorative-city
ACT Government 2022. Government response to the Listen. Take action to prevent, believe, and heal report. https://www.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/2380582/Government-Response-to-the-Listen.-Take-Action-to-Prevent-Believe-and-Heal-Report.pdf
ACT Government 2021a. Listen. Take action to prevent, believe and heal. Report to the ACT Government by the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Steering Committee. https://www.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/2390204/Listen-Take-Action-to-Prevent-Believe-and-Heal.pdf
ACT Government 2021b. New sexual assault prevention and response working group. Media release, 29 March. https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/yvette-berry-mla-media-releases/2021/new-sexual-assault-prevention-and-response-working-group
ALRC—see Australian Law Reform Commission
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023. Personal safety, Australia, 2021–22. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/personal-safety-australia/latest-release
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2025. Family, domestic, and sexual violence. https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence
Australian Law Reform Commission 2025. Safe, informed, supported: Reforming justice responses to sexual violence. Canberra: Australian Government. https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/jrsv-report-143/
Christen-Schneider C 2025. Trauma-informed restorative dialogues: The power of community. Routledge
City News 2022. Sexual harassment: ANU ‘fails’ students, says report. City News, 23 March. https://citynews.com.au/2022/anu-students-report-high-levels-of-sexual-harrassment-study-finds/
Coker D 2002. Transformative justice: Anti-subordination processes in cases of domestic violence. In H Strang & J Braithwaite (eds), Restorative justice and family violence. Cambridge University Press
Daly K 2017. Sexual violence and victims’ justice interests. In E Zinsstag & M Keenan (eds), Restorative responses to sexual violence: Legal, social and therapeutic dimensions. Routledge
Daly K 2016. What is restorative justice? Fresh answers to a vexed question. Victims & Offenders 11: 9–29
Daly K & Stubbs J 2006. Feminist engagement with restorative justice. Theoretical Criminology 10: 9–28
Forsyth M & Braithwaite V 2020. From reintegrative shaming to restorative institutional hybridity. International Journal of Restorative Justice 3: 10–22
Forsyth M et al. 2021. A future agenda for environmental restorative justice? International Journal of Restorative Justice 4(1): 17–40
Gavrielides T 2007. Restorative justice theory and practice: Addressing the discrepancy. European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control
Hudson B 2006. Beyond white man’s justice: Race, gender and justice in late modernity. Theoretical Criminology 10: 29–47
Jülich S & Thorburn N 2017. Sexual violence and substantive equality: Can restorative justice deliver? Journal of Human Rights and Social Work 2: 34–44
Karp DR, Shackford-Bradley J, Wilson RJ & Williamsen KM 2016. Campus PRISM: A report on promoting restorative initiatives for sexual misconduct on college campuses. Skidmore College Project on Restorative Justice. https://digital.sandiego.edu/soles-faculty/36/
Lawler S 2025. Safety and accountability: Stakeholder referrals to restorative justice for domestic, family and sexual violence. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 707. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/ti77727
Lawler S, Boxall H & Dowling C 2025. Restorative justice conferencing for domestic and family violence and sexual violence: Evaluation of Phase Three of the ACT Restorative Justice Scheme. Research Report no. 33. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/rr77680
Lewis R, Dobash R & Cavanagh K 2001. Law’s progressive potential: The value of engagement with the law for domestic violence. Social & Legal Studies 10: 105–130
Marshall T 1999. Restorative justice: An overview. United Kingdom: Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate
McGlynn C & Westmarland N 2019. Kaleidoscopic justice: Sexual violence and victim-survivors’ perceptions of justice. Social & Legal Studies 28: 179–201
Morrison B, Blood P & Thorsborne M 2005. Practicing restorative justice in school communities: Addressing the challenge of culture change. Public Organization Review 5: 335–357
O’Nolan C, Zinsstag E & Keenan M 2018. Researching ‘under the radar’ practices: Exploring restorative practices in sexual violence cases. Temida 21: 107–129
Pali B & Madsen K 2011. Dangerous liaisons? A feminist and restorative approach to sexual assault. Temida 14: 49–65
Price S, Prenzler T, Rayment-McHugh S & McKillop N 2025. A review of restorative justice programmes for First Nations Peoples in Queensland. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice 49(1): 1–15
Pycroft A & Christen-Schneider C 2021. An exploration of trauma-informed practices in RJ: A phenomenological study. International Journal of Restorative Justice 2021(2): 229–252
Rossner M & Forsyth M 2021. Is now the time for restorative justice for survivors of sexual assault? International Journal of Restorative Justice 2021(3): 365–373
Rossner M, Forsyth M, Eales S, Hope J & Bartels L 2026. Restorative justice for sexual violence survivors: Expanding restorative pathways. Report to the Criminology Research Advisory Council. Canberra: Australia Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/crf78403
Sherman L, Strang H, Mayo-Wilson E, Woods D & Ariel B 2015. Are restorative justice conferences effective in reducing repeat offending? Findings from a Campbell systematic review. Journal of Quantitative Criminology 31: 1–24
Scottish Government 2023. Roadmap for creating trauma-informed and responsive change: Guidance for organisations, systems and workforces in Scotland
Tauri JM 2022. What exactly are you restoring us to? A critical examination of Indigenous experiences of state‐centred restorative justice. Howard Journal of Crime and Justice 61(1): 53–67
Thorsborne M 2017. Restorative practices in schools. Routledge