How do I know if restorative justice is right for my situation?

This is the question I wish more people asked before assuming the traditional route. Restorative justice isn't a universal fix, and Sor Juana would remind us that wisdom means knowing the limits of any single approach. It works best when: you want to understand what actually happened (not just punish), the person who caused harm is willing to engage honestly, relationships matter to you more than winning, and you have some stability to do the emotional work it requires. It's harder when: safety is still at risk, there's a severe power imbalance, or you're being pressured into it before you're ready. Sometimes accountability requires separation first. Sometimes you need individual healing before facing anyone. The real test is this: Do you want to move forward? Not forgive—forward. That might mean accountability, changed behavior, understanding, or just naming what happened so it stops owning you. If that resonates, restorative processes can create space for it. If you're looking for punishment or erasure, be honest about that too. That's not failure. That's clarity.