Empowering Victims/Survivors or Restorative Washing? Institutional and Clerical Sexual Abuse of School Children and Restorative Justice

While numerous studies exist on restorative justice, less is known about its use in cases of institutional sex abuse. Given a growing trend towards using restorative justice in such cases, this article addresses this gap in knowledge by analysing a case in Ireland involving historical clerical child sex abuse in schools. From this analysis, more caution is urged in considering when it is appropriate to employ restorative justice and in labelling and promoting activities as restorative when lacking core elements that make restorative justice effective. Moreover, the article warns of the potential for restorative justice to be used to ‘wash’ organizations of their transgressions rather than deliver meaningful effective and empowering outcomes for participants or ensure accountability.