Restorative Justice in Cases of Sexual Harm

Since 2020, Restorative Practices @ Penn has partnered with the Office of the AVP for Equity and Title IX Officer to provide an alternative to the investigative process for students who have experienced sexual harm. We offer a confidential, supportive process which centers the harm and works to address needs, promote accountability, and provide scaffolding for future healing.

If you are a student at Penn and have experienced any kind of sexual harm, you are not alone. There are numerous supports available to you, some of which are listed here. We are also available to provide confidential consultations directly with you to help you understand your options and what a restorative process could look like for you - you can contact any member of our team directly to set up a meeting. You will not be pressured to disclose any specific information about your experience on this call, and your privacy will always be respected by our team.

Restorative resolutions do not result in formal sanctions or reports and do not require an investigation. Participation in a Restorative resolution is voluntary for all parties and participants can opt out at any time prior to the conclusion of the process. As a participant, you retain total control of the process, and no decisions about your participation will be made without your consent. If you decide that a Restorative process might be supportive for you, you can expect it to roughly follow the following stages:

RP@P Process Outline for Title IX. Step 1 Referral and Intake, confidential process, formal, complaint, process prep, voluntary participation, agreement to participate form signed. Step 2, pre-conferencing, private one on one meetings, exploring harms and needs, both parties meet separately, can be a lengthy process. Step 3 Restorative Conference, In person, via Zoom, or via shuttle facilitation, facilitated encounter between parties, restorative agreement reached. Step 4, follow-up, ongoing support

A typical RP@P for Title IX process will take on average 2-3 months, though some cases can take significantly longer depending on the needs of the participants. 

Request a Process
In situations of interpersonal harm, RP@P can provide safe, confidential, supportive resources to help the harmed party access healing and support, and for the responsible party to work toward accountability and repair. Click here to request a private intake conversation in which we can explain our process and learn from you about what your needs are.
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Other Resources
If you or someone close to you has had direct experiences with sexual harm of any kind, whether at Penn or elsewhere, there are supports available for you. Please click below to learn more.
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