In Shadows of Doubt, (the follow up to The Farm) Karen & Sharon Sanders confront the man they believed raped them 22 years ago.
The theory of restorative justice actively involves victims and offenders in the process of reparation and rehabilitation. Rather than relying primarily on the state, restorative justice aims to bring together victims and accused parties to find a means of restoring peace and order.
Various aspects of the restorative justice methodology were inspired by the indigenous Maori people in New Zealand. But even in Western history, crime was formerly defined as an injury to victims, their families and community. In earlier times, the goal of the justice process was to make things right among the parties by repairing the damages done. In modern times, with the rise of the state, crime became defined as a violation of the law and thus of the state. Victims, communities and to a large extent, offenders, were reduced to passive actors in a system designed to reduce future lawbreaking through rehabilitation, punishment and/or incapacitation. Advocates of restorative justice, however, believe that crime is not primarily an offense against the state. Instead restorative justice views crime as an act that causes multiple injuries to victims, the community and even the offender. It seeks to find ways of repairing the harm to these parties by involving victims, the community and the offenders at the earliest point and to the fullest extent possible.
A comprehensive resource is Restoring Justice, by Daniel Van Ness and Karen Heetderks Strong (www.andersonpublishing.com)