Restorative/Transformative Justice Responses to Intimate Partner Violence

Dear Colleagues,

Restorative justice (RJ) and transformative justice (TJ) have emerged as alternative approaches to addressing harm that prioritize healing, accountability, and community-based responses over punitive legal processes. While RJ often focuses on repairing relationships and involving those harmed and responsible in processes of dialogue and reparation, TJ emphasizes structural change and the creation of systems outside the criminal legal framework. Both approaches are increasingly looked to as responses to intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly as global rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) rise and survivors identify dissatisfaction with conventional justice systems (Hayden, Gelsthorpe & Morris, 2014; Pennell, 2023). 

Despite growing interest, the application of RJ and TJ for IPV remains contested. Proponents point to their potential for centering survivor agency, promoting accountability, and facilitating emotional closure—outcomes often lacking in traditional systems (Strang et al., 2013; Sherman et al., 2005). However, critics raise concerns about the power imbalances inherent in abusive relationships, which may increase the risk of revictimization during justice processes. The suitability, safety, and effectiveness of RJ and TJ in IPV contexts remain under-researched and conceptually underdeveloped. 

This special issue invites contributions from scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to critically engage with restorative and transformative justice in the context of IPV. We welcome interdisciplinary submissions from fields including sociology, anthropology, social policy, criminology, social psychology, legal studies, and beyond. 

Topics may include, but are not limited to: 

• Theoretical and conceptual debates on RJ and TJ as alternatives to, or integrated within, the criminal legal system
• The role of race, class, gender, sexuality, and other social identities in shaping experiences of RJ and TJ
• Survivor, perpetrator, community, and/or practitioner perspectives on RJ and TJ processes in IPV cases
• Comparative analyses of RJ, TJ, and conventional legal responses
• Policy implications and practice-based frameworks for implementing RJ and TJ in IPV contexts
• Risks, limitations, and ethical considerations in applying RJ and TJ to IPV
• Case studies or empirical findings on RJ and/or TJ initiatives related to IPV 

We encourage a wide range of contributions, including conceptual papers, theoretical explorations, empirical studies using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods, and practice-based reflections and/or policy papers. This special issue aims to deepen dialogue and advance knowledge on the potentials and limits of restorative and transformative justice in responding to IPV.

Dr. Mavis Morton
Dr. Laura MacDiarmid
Guest Editors

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• gender based violence
• restorative justice
• transformative justice
• intimate partner violence
• alternative justice
• intersectionality
• critical feminist