Modern Jurisprudence and Law

Modern Jurisprudence and Law

Restorative Criminal Justice for Vulnerable Victims: A Study of the Challenges of Compensation

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Islamic Azad University, Electronics Branch, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jml.2026.2087809.1690
Abstract
The transformation of contemporary criminal policy has led criminal justice systems to move beyond purely punitive and offender-centered approaches toward victim-oriented, participatory, and restorative models. Within this framework, vulnerable victims—including children, women subjected to violence, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, victims of sexual offences, domestic violence, and crimes with severe psychological and social consequences—are at greater risk of repeated harm during both the commission of the offence and the subsequent criminal proceedings. Restorative criminal justice, by emphasizing compensation, restoration of the victim’s dignity, psychological support, offender accountability, and prevention of secondary victimization, may serve as an effective complementary mechanism to formal criminal justice. However, its application to vulnerable victims raises serious challenges, including the risk of coercive reconciliation, imbalance of power between the victim and the offender, inadequate psychological assistance, ineffective compensation mechanisms, and the possibility of secondary victimization. Using a descriptive-analytical method and a criminal policy approach, this article examines the conceptual foundations of restorative criminal proceedings, the specific position of vulnerable victims, and the principal challenges associated with compensation, psychological support, and prevention of secondary victimization. The findings indicate that restorative justice can protect vulnerable victims only when it is based on free and informed consent, professional psychological assessment, judicial supervision, effective compensation, and strong procedural safeguards.
Keywords
Subjects


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 17 June 2026