A needed encounter: Relational justice as an intersection between abolitionism and gender

Abstract

Starting from a broadly abolitionist standpoint, this contribution aims to offer an analysis of what will be defined as “relational justice”, a category that opens up possibilities for the identification of forms of conflict resolution that are alternative to the penal system framework. After outlining the necessary theoretical premises, the analysis engages with La trama alternativa by Giusi Palomba, which explores the field of the so-called transformative justice – starting from an episode of gender-based violence. Within this framework, the gender issue emerges as both intertwined and compatible with an abolitionist approach, given the various forms the latter can take. Through the encounter between these two perspectives, the goal is to uncover deeper meaning in relation to alternative practices of engaging with conflicts with criminal relevance. By moving beyond an offender-centered perspective, the multiple subjectivities involved in what the criminal justice system reduces to a mere criminal act can emerge, thus opening the way to strategies for reclaiming conflict.

Keywords: abolitionism, gender issue, relational justice, transformation, restoration.