NCJ Number
121345
Date Published
1989
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Five assumptions, derived from liberation and feminist theologies, set important parameters for a discussion of justice-making: that violations of bodily integrity be taken seriously; that relationships between and among people is of primary value; that the notion of moral agency requires people to act in the face of injustice; that the place to start is with the lived experience of the powerless; and that taking the side of the victimized and powerless is difficult, especially in a church.
Abstract
Seven main elements comprise the justice-making response to victimization, namely truth-telling, acknowledging the truth, compassion, protecting the vulnerable, accountability, restitution, and vindication for victims. However, there are limitations to justice-making, particularly for women in our society. For example, several fundamental assumptions about the nature of justice -- justice as fairness, maintenance of the status quo, and the protection of property -- is one. Many media portrayals of women project images of women as evil, seductive, and violent, and then justify their victimization. A primal fear that women will use self-defense to respond to their victimization and a desire not to see the violence against women makes justice for women hard to obtain. A standard of judgement must be developed that accounts for women's experiences and resources and that insures justice so that women who have killed their abusers in self defense can face the further injustice of the legal system and the community.