The starting point for me when thinking about restorative justice is the survivor. Is this a situation where the survivor wants a process in which she can have an active voice? Is she interested in offering the person who has caused the harm the opportunity to hear about the impact his actions have had on her, to acknowledge his responsibility for having caused harm, to take responsibility to learn how to behave differently in the future?

With this starting point, there are some situations that seem unlikely to be suited for restorative justice: cases involving a serial predator, for example. Others seem more likely: young people where the concept of consent may not be clearly understood and situations where there is not a huge power imbalance between the parties, for example.

What I think is really needed at this point is a conversation that includes as many voices and perspectives as possible.