Peer-reviewed article
Restorative Justice Approach in the Criminal Response to Domestic Violence Against Children and Adolescents
Amin Amirian Farsani, Amirshayan Hashemian ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This article examines how combining criminal justice responses with restorative justice approaches can better address domestic violence against children and adolescents. The study argues that purely punitive responses alone cannot repair relationships or restore family functioning. The findings suggest that integrating criminal mechanisms like prosecution with restorative practices such as mediation, dialogue, and parental rehabilitation can reduce violence while promoting children's social development and family healing.
Key points
- Domestic violence against children disrupts trust, safety, and social development beyond physical or psychological harm
- Purely punitive responses alone cannot restore damaged relationships or family educational and nurturing functions
- An integrated model combining criminal prosecution and deterrent measures with restorative mechanisms is more effective
- Restorative mechanisms include supportive dialogue, parental rehabilitation programs, specialized mediation, and non-financial reparation
- An integrated punitive-restorative model grounded in support-oriented interventions promotes both reduced violence and children's social development
Limitations
This is a documentary-analytical review rather than an empirical evaluation of outcomes. The article does not provide quantitative data on the effectiveness of integrated approaches or present comparative results from actual implementation.
Abstract
Domestic violence against children is one of the fundamental challenges faced by criminal justice and child-protection systems. Its consequences are not limited to physical or psychological harm; rather, such violence also disrupts the cycle of trust, safety, and the child’s social development. Purely punitive responses, although necessary for containing violent behavior, cannot by themselves ensure the restoration of damaged relationships or the revival of the family’s educational and nurturing functions. Using a documentary–analytical method, this article examines the capacities of the restorative justice approach alongside the criminal response for addressing domestic violence against children more effectively. The findings indicate that linking criminal mechanisms (such as judicial prosecution and deterrent measures) with restorative mechanisms (including supportive dialogue, parental rehabilitation programs, specialized mediation, and non-financial forms of reparation) can, while maintaining the firmness of the justice system’s response, create opportunities for repairing harm, strengthening the child’s lifeworld, and reconstructing the family’s behavioral patterns. Ultimately, the article concludes that an integrated punitive–restorative model, grounded in support-oriented interventions and rehabilitation, constitutes a more effective approach for reducing domestic violence and promoting children’s social development.