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Abstract: 

As a leading researcher in the area of interpersonal violence, Mary Koss has made massive contributions to our understanding of the ways in which traumatic experiences like sexual assault impairs the psychological and emotional functioning and overall quality of life of its victims. She notes here the limits of many initiatives to provide remedies for victims of sex crimes. Because Dr. Koss herself has interacted frequently with the criminal justice system, she is especially well-equipped to suggest and develop better alternatives. This is precisely what she did by creating RESTORE, a Pima County, Arizona based program rooted in the principles and practices of restorative justice. Here, she provides an overview of that improved model for providing victims with some semblance of justice for the wrongs they have suffered.

Keywords: victims’ survival needs and justice needs; contemporary obstacles experienced by sex crime victims; justice-system based restorative conferencing model; National Violence Against Women Survey; rape shield; comparative fault; “conferencing”; RES

Affiliations:  1: University of Arizona.