Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice

The #MeToo movement brought attention to sexual violence, but the focus on the offenders and their trials left survivors' needs unmet. The traditional criminal justice system is often not designed to meet the needs of survivors of sexual violence. The process of reporting, investigating, and prosecuting sexual assault can be retraumatizing for survivors, and even when perpetrators are convicted, survivors may not feel that justice has been served. In her book Truth and Repair, author Dr. Judith Herman argues that a better way to achieve justice for survivors of sexual violence is to focus on healing and restoration. She calls for a system that listens to survivors and supports their needs, a system that offers a new vision of justice that could help to heal the wounds of sexual violence.