The City of New York Law Review, 2022, 25(1).

In 1999, both authors of this paper were raped. As a freshman in college, Alexa was raped at knifepoint by a stranger that broke into her dorm and hid in the shared bathroom. Alissa was a junior in high school when she was raped by a young man after leaving a house party with him to walk on the beach. Alexa reported her rape to law enforcement and subsequently endured a trial that ended in a guilty verdict and a significant
prison sentence for the man who raped her. Alissa never reported her rape and remained silent about her experience for 15 years. Despite their different journeys in the aftermath of sexual violence, the authors’ experiences impacted both their lives in significant ways that ultimately led to their career paths as sex crimes experts and restorative justice
practitioners. [1] Their individual and collective “survivor scholar” experiences inform this paper. [2]

Part I summarizes the impacts of the criminal legal system on
individuals who have been sexually harmed, explaining under-reporting, police interactions, and case attrition. Part II frames the reasons why post-conviction sex crimes policies such as a registration and community notification are ineffective at reducing rates of sexual offending or addressing the needs of individuals who have experienced sexual harm. Part III explains the root causes of sexually harmful behavior, which
range from individual-level to societal influences. Part IV sets the stage for an introduction to restorative justice. The authors focus on the use of restorative justice more broadly, before discussing how restorative justice is different from typical criminal legal options for addressing harmful behavior. The authors then briefly summarize the effectiveness of
restorative justice based on the available literature. Part V expands on the authors’ individual journeys to restorative justice as sex crimes experts and rape survivors, before addressing the often unmet needs of people who have also experienced sexual harm. The authors explain the justice
needs of people who have perpetrated acts of sexual harm. Part VI focuses exclusively on restorative justice as a tool to use in these instances, including case studies and the limitations of restorative frameworks. Part VII concludes with a renewed hope for a restorative future. (Authors' abstract). Record #7891