Welcome to the Commune podcast.

My name is Jeff Krasno.

Today on the show, we hear the courageous story of Marley Liss and her pursuit of restorative justice. This episode originally aired on December 17, 2019.

In general, our modern judicial system is based on crime and punishment. This is based on

Old Testament style retributive justice, you know, an eye for an eye. We focus our energy

on the perpetrator and the appropriate punishment to fit the crime. This is completely understandable

as we want to hold the perpetrator to account. At the same time, this approach seldom focuses

on the harm that was actually done. This approach, as you will hear, wasn't working for Marley,

who was the victim of sexual assault. She pursued a different course known as restorative justice,

an approach to justice that seeks to repair harm by providing an opportunity for those harmed

and those who take responsibility for the harm to communicate about and address their needs in the aftermath of a crime.

So this episode chronicles her story.

As a warning, this production contains material of a highly sensitive nature, including sexual assault, that may be triggering for some individuals.

Okay, without further delay, here's Marley Liss.

Okay. I'm Marvie. I live in Toronto. I have just founded an organization called FreeHumanize.

It's a nonprofit focused on restorative justice for sexual violence, which of course ties into my story.

I also do transformational retreats, run alongside my mom, and I'm a writer.

And can you elaborate a little bit on the journey that has taken you into this present incarnation of yourself?

Yeah, absolutely.

I think the biggest catalyst of transformation in my life was experiencing sexual assault about three years ago.

I had been living on a meditation center for the Divine Feminine for three months,

and I got home, and a week after that, I was raped by a stranger and alcohol involved.

...