Survivors seek healing through restorative justice rather than prison
Only 7 per cent of sexual assaults result in conviction. Survivor advocates for restorative justice as an alternative.
Sexual assault survivor Codie Bell is advocating for restorative justice as a path to healing when survivors choose it over criminal courts. In Australia, police are only contacted in only about 8.3 per cent of sexual assaults.
New data shows that in NSW, only 15 per cent of assaults reported to police result in charges, and only 7 per cent end in guilty verdicts. Bell was assaulted at university in 2015 but did not report it.
She knew a court process might fail and would consume her life. Restorative justice involves a conference between the survivor, offender, and other affected people.
The offender must plead guilty first. It focuses on reintegrative shaming: the offender faces how they hurt people and is encouraged to change, rather than simply serving time.
Bell believes this path can repair relationships and hold people accountable without requiring survivors to relive trauma in court.
- 7 per cent in NSW
- Guilty verdict rate
- 2015 at university
- Codie's assault
Why it mattersWith conviction rates so low, survivors need alternatives that give them agency and a genuine chance to be heard.
AustraliaAvailable now in the ACT and other states; most Australian sexual assault survivors never see an offender convicted, making restorative justice a real option for many.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
