Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Rape Justice pp 92–111Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Sexual Violence and Innovative Responses to Justice

Interrupting the ‘Recognisable’ Narrative

  • Chapter

Abstract

Within law, the desired outcome is purportedly obtaining justice. Yet on a global scale, the law has consistently failed in providing justice, empowerment, status or control to sexual violence victims, while simultaneously failing to adequately consider the complexities and individuality of sexual violence experiences. A key problem for the law in responding to these failings has historically been the dominant cultural, political and social narratives around what constitutes ‘real rape’, what is consent and who fits into the normative sexual victim and offender labels. However, as the capacity for conventional legal processes to achieve or provide ‘justice’ in cases of sexual violence has been increasingly critiqued, and attention has shifted towards better integration of victims’ needs in legal proceedings, these same failings have facilitated opportunities for the interruption of the recognisable narratives of rape, justice and the lived, versus stereotyped, experiences of women. In response, we have witnessed a range of initiatives — official and unofficial; within and beyond the criminal law — explored and implemented, with the aim of providing alternative forms of justice for sexual violence victims.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • ABS [Australian Bureau of Statistics] (1996) Personal Safety Survey (Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service).

    Google Scholar 

  • ABS [Australian Bureau of Statistics] (2006) Personal Safety Survey (Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service).

    Google Scholar 

  • AR Wear (2014) ‘AR Wear Website’; Retrieved from https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ar-wear-confidence-protection-that-can-be-worn

    Google Scholar 

  • Butterfield, M. (2012) ‘Edmonton Sexual Assault Awareness Campaign, “Don’t Be That Guy” So Effective City Relaunches with New Posters’, Huffington Post, 12 January.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christie, N. (1977) ‘Conflict as Property’, British Journal of Criminology, 18(1), 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • CIJ [Centre for Innovative Justice] (2014) Innovative Justice Responses to Sexual Offending: Pathways to Better Outcomes for Victims, Offenders and the Community (Victoria, Australia: Centre for Innovative Justice, RMIT).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, K. (2014) ‘Suicides Show How Justice System Fails Rape Victims’, The Conversation, 28 February.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cossins, A. (2008) ‘Restorative Justice and Child Sex Offences: The Theory and the Practice’, British Journal of Criminology, 4(3), 359–378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cossins, A. (2010) Alternative Models for Prosecuting Child Sex Offences in Australia (Sydney: National Child Sexual Assault Reform Committee, University of New South Wales).

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K. (2000) ‘Revisiting the Relationship Between Retributive and Restorative Justice’, in H. Strang and J. Braithwaite (eds.) Restorative Justice: Philosophy to Practice (Aldershot: Ashgate/Dartmouth), pp. 33–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K. (2002) ‘Sexual Assault and Restorative Justice’, in H. Strang and J. Braithwaite (eds.) Restorative Justice and Family Violence (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp. 62–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K. (2006) ‘Restorative Justice and Sexual Assault: An Archival Study of Court and Conference Cases’, British Journal of Criminology, 46(2), 334–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K. (2011) Conventional and Innovative Responses to Sexual Violence, ACSSA Issues, no. 12 (Melbourne, Australia: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault).

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K. and Bouhours, B. (2010) ‘Rape and Attrition in the Legal Process: A Comparative Analysis of Five Countries’, Crime and Justice: An Annual Review of Research, 39, 485–565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K. and Curtis-Frawley, S. (2006) ‘Justice for Victims of Sexual Assault: Court or Conference?’, in K. Heimer and C. Kruttschnitt (eds.) Gender and Crime: Patterns of Victimization and Offending (New York: New York University Press), pp. 230–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K. and Stubbs, J. (2006) ‘Feminist Engagement with Restorative Justice’, Theoretical Criminology, 10(1), 9–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deleuze, G. (1994) Difference and Repetition (New York: Columbia University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolan, A. (2012) ‘Fury as Police Anti-drinking Campaign Suggests Drunk Women Are to Blame’, Daily Mail, 3 August.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, J. (2011) ‘Pennsylvania’s Blame the Rape Victim Ad Follows a Long History of Lousy Campaigns’, Business Insider, 10 December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellison, L. and Munro, V. (2009) ‘Of “Normal Sex” and “Real Rape”: Exploring the Use of Socio-sexual Scripts in (Mock) Jury Deliberation’, Social & Legal Studies, 18(3), 291–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, S. (2014) ‘Outrage Over Government’s Alcohol Awareness Poster That Shifts Blame onto Rape Victims If They Drink Too Much’, Daily Mail, 27 July.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finch, E. and Munro, V. (2005) ‘Juror Stereotypes and Blame Attribution in Rape Cases Involving Intoxicants: The Findings of a Pilot Study’, British Journal of Criminology, 45, 25–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finn, J. (2011) ‘Decision-Making and Decision Makers in Sexual Offence Trials: Options for Specialist Sexual Offence Courts, Tribunals of Fact and the Giving of Reasons’, Canterbury Law Review, 17, 96–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, A. (2010) Secret Deals and Bargained Justice: Lifting the Veil of Secrecy Surrounding Plea Bargaining in Victoria, PhD thesis, Monash University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, A. (2012) ‘Bargaining with Justice: Victims, Plea Bargaining and the Victims Charter Act 2006 (Vic)’, Monash University Law Review, 32, 73–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, A., Halsey, M, and Lee, M. (2015, forthcoming), M. (2015, forthcoming) ‘Emblematic Violence and Aetiological Cul-De-Sacs: On the Discourse of “One Punch” (Non) Fatalities’, British Journal of Criminology, first published online 21 May, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foucault, M. (1980) ‘The Confession of the Flesh 1977 Interview’, in C. Gordon (ed.) Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings (New York: Pantheon Books), pp. 194–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freiberg, A. (2001) ‘Problem-Orientated Courts: Innovative Solutions to Intractable Problems’, Melbourne: AIJA Conference, 21–23 July 2001; Retrieved from: http://www.aija.org.au/Mag01/Freiberg.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Grubb, A. and Turner, E. (2012) ‘Attribution of Blame in Rape Cases: A Review of the Impact of Rape Myth Acceptance, Gender Role Conformity and Substance Use on Victim Blaming’, Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17, 443–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heenan, M. and Murray, S. (2004) Study of Reported Rapes in Victoria 2000–2003 (Melbourne, Australia: Statewide Steering Committee to Reduce Sexual Assault).

    Google Scholar 

  • Herman, J. (2005) ‘Justice from the Victim’s Perspective’, Violence Against Women, 11(5), 571–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson, B. (2002) ‘Restorative Justice and Gendered Violence: Diversion or Effective Justice?’ British Journal of Criminology, 42(3), 616–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Julich, S., Buttle, J., Cummins, C. and Freeborn, E. (2010) Project Restore: An Exploratory Study of Restorative Justice and Sexual Violence; Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/274691/Project_Restore_An_Exploratory_Study_of_Restorative_Justice_and_Sexual_Violence

    Google Scholar 

  • Julich, S., McGregor, K., Annan, J., Landon, F., McCarrison, D. and McPhillips, K. (2011) ‘Yes There Is Another Way’, Canterbury Law Review, 17, 222–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, M. (2011) ‘7 Ways to Protect Yourself from Rape’, Marie Claire, 10 March.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koss, M. (2010) ‘Restorative Justice for Acquaintance Rape and Misdemeanor Sex Crimes’, in J. Ptacek (ed.) Restorative Justice and Violence Against Women (New York: Oxford University Press), pp. 218–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koss, M. (2014) ‘The RESTORE Program of Restorative Justice for Sex Crimes: Vision, Process and Outcomes’, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(9), 1623–1660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, J. (2014) ‘Restorative Justice in the Australian Criminal Justice System’, Australian Institute of Criminology: Research and Public Policy Series, no. 127, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manyathi-Jele, N. (2013) ‘Sexual Offences Courts to be Re-established’, DeRebus; Retrieved from: http://www.saflii.org/za/journals/DEREBUS/2013/163.html

  • Ministerial Advisory Task Team (2013) Report on the Re-establishment of Sexual Offences Courts in South Africa (South Africa: Justice and Constitutional Development Department).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Justice (2013) An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales (London, UK: Ministry of Justice, Home Office and the Office for National Statistics).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mouzos, J. and Makkai, T. (2004) Australian Component of the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS) (Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pali, B. and Madsen, K. (2011) ‘Dangerous Liaisons? A Feminist and Restorative Justice Approach to Sexual Assault’, Temida, 14(1), 49–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, A. and Henry, N. (2014) ‘Framing Sexual Violence Prevention: What Does it Mean to Challenge a Rape Culture?’, in N. Henry and A. Powell (eds.) Preventing Sexual Violence: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Overcoming a Rape Culture (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan), pp. 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell, A., Henry, N., Flynn, A. and Henderson, E. (2013) ‘Meanings of Sex and Consent: The Persistence of Rape Myths in Victoria Rape Law’, Griffith University Law Review, 22(2), 456–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • RAINN [Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network] (2014) RAINN Statistics; Retrieved from: https://www.rainn.org/statistics

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapland, J., Robinson, G. and Sorsby, A. (2011) Restorative Justice in Practice: Evaluating What Works for Victims and Offenders (London, UK: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapland, J., Willmore, J. and Duff, P. (1985) Victims in the Criminal Justice System (Aldershot: Gower).

    Google Scholar 

  • Silvester, J. (2013) ‘Criminal Justice System Failing Most Rape Victims’, The Age, 3 August.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, L. (2014) ‘Anti-date Rape Undercover Nail Polish Changes Colour When Drinks Are Spiked with Rohypnol and GHB’, International Business Times, 26 August.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strang, H. and Sherman, L. (2003) ‘Repairing the Harm: Victims and Restorative Justice’, Utah Law Review, 1, 15–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stubbs, J. (2003) ‘Sexual Assault, Criminal Justice, and Law and Order’, Women Against Violence, 14, 14–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Success Works (2011) Sexual Assault Reform Strategy — Final Evaluation Report (Melbourne, Australia: Department of Justice).

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, S. and Louw, D. (2005) ‘The Court for Sexual Offences: Perceptions of the Victims of Sexual Offences’, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 28, 231–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White House Public Service Announcement (2014) One is Too Many; Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLdElcv5qqc

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoffee, E. (2013) ‘College Women: Stop Getting Drunk’, Slate, 15 October 2013.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Asher Flynn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. RMIT University, Australia

    Anastasia Powell

  2. La Trobe University, Australia

    Nicola Henry

  3. Monash University, Australia

    Asher Flynn

Copyright information

© 2015 Asher Flynn

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Flynn, A. (2015). Sexual Violence and Innovative Responses to Justice. In: Powell, A., Henry, N., Flynn, A. (eds) Rape Justice. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137476159_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation