The Critical Knowledge Gap in Evaluating Restorative Justice Practices as a Response to Sexual Misconduct / Sexual Violence in Post-Secondary Institutions: A Call to Action

In this professional practice paper I set out to discover whether there is data indicating Restorative Justice Practices are effective with respect to victim/survivor satisfaction and engendering systemic culture change when used as a response to incidents of Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence in Post-Secondary Institutions (PSIs). I discovered ample and convincing literature making a case for Restorative Justice (RJ) as a valid response to such incidents; as well as, frameworks to guide PSIs in developing this approach within their own institutions. The critical knowledge gap lies in evaluation. What is currently lacking is data on whether institutions are adopting this approach, in what circumstances, in what ways, and to what effect. I suggest this lack of data exists because it is only within the last five years that PSIs, in many Provinces in Canada but not all, have been legislated to respond to these kinds of incidents. This has driven an emergent interest in RJ specific to Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence within the Post-Secondary setting. Despite the promise inherent in Restorative Justice Practices, there are legitimate challenges to implementation. This paper seeks to provide some ideas to address those challenges; highlighting work I have undertaken within my own institution. My call to action is for PSIs that implement RJ Practices to do so with evaluation in mind and for researchers to focus scholarship in this area. My hope is to inspire others to strive towards infusing a restorative and relational approach in their work.