Reframing Restorative Justice in Education: Shifting Power to Heal and Transform School Communities

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
April L. Mustian ◽  
Henry Cervantes ◽  
Robert Lee
2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Morrison ◽  
Peta Blood ◽  
Margaret Thorsborne

2001 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID R. KARP ◽  
BEAU BRESLIN

2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 690-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda E. Morrison

This paper will introduce a whole‐school approach to regulating safe school communities, based on principles of restorative justice. The idea is to move beyond regulatory formalism to a stance of response regulation, whereby the needs of the school community can be better met. The approach will incorporate a continuum of practices across three levels of regulation. The primary level of intervention targets all students, with an aim to develop students’ social and emotional competencies, particularly in the area of conflict resolution. This first stage aims to enable students to resolve their differences in caring and respectful ways. The secondary level of practices involves a larger number of participants in the resolution of the conflict or concern, as the problem has become protracted or has involved (and affected) a larger number of people. The tertiary level of intervention involves the participation of an even wider cross‐section of the school community, including parents, guardians, social workers, and others who have been affected. This intervention is typically used for serious incidents within the school, such as acts of serious violence. At each level, the processes involved are based on principles of restorative justice, such as inclusive and respectful dialogue. The aim is to build safe school communities through being more responsive and more restorative.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 58-64
Author(s):  
Sage Streight

This paper looks at the traditionally retributive paradigm that is used in Western educational systems to control misbehaviour, issues of injustice, and violence in schools. The paper first talks about the ineffectiveness of this paradigm in creating communities of care and safer schools. The paper then offers that restorative justice (RJ) practices are more effective at creating communities of care and making schools safer. In fact, many schools in North America have been recognizing this and thus implementing RJ practices. The paper looks in depth as to what RJ is and how it is relevant to and works within the school context. This is done to show that RJ changes how individuals view harm. The traditional retributive paradigm views harm as an act of injustice against the state/law, whereas RJ views harm as harm against human beings. This means that RJ fosters understanding, accountability, empathy, connection, and learning positive reconciliation skills that can both be reactive and preventive ways to address harm in schools. Through all these things RJ looks to address the root causes of harm and attend to unmet needs that result from a specific harmful action.             These findings are important in the paper as they provide an understanding as to why RJ is then relevant in schools. The paper goes on to argue that RJ is relevant in schools because schools are tasked with socializing children, provide behaviour management, and are currently places where violence frequently occurs. These three factors are extremely important in shaping how individuals and communities operate. Because of this, RJ is argued to be necessary and relevant in order to ensure positive and constructive measures. Next, the paper looks at what circles are and how using circles as an RJ practice in schools can create constructive dialogue that leads to understanding that can reduce incidents of harm and injustice and help to develop communities of care. A study by Ortega, Lyubansky, Nettles, & Espelage (2016) is presented to support these findings.             Furthermore, the paper presents how circles could realistically and effectively be implemented in schools according to Braithwaite (2001). Circles need to be implemented on a school wide level, accessible to everyone, and with the hope that they become an everyday practice for individuals to use to resolve issues of harm and injustice. The paper concludes by reiterating that using circles as an RJ practice creates broader participation in schools and fosters a collective value and stake in what happens within a school. This is done through the intentional dialogue of circles, which is proven to foster community, understanding, and needs being met. Ultimately, this makes schools operate in a more responsible way where individuals look out for how their actions are affecting those around them, ultimately making them more conscious citizens and the school a safer place.


Laws ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Gabriel M. Velez

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected schools and the people within them. The move to remote schooling forced practitioners of school-based restorative justice to adapt and innovate, as theory and practice had almost exclusively focused on in-person instruction. In this paper, I first review some of the challenges, adaptations, and lessons during the pandemic. I then argue that restorative justice in schools offers new and unique potential to address needs of educational communities and the students, educators, and staff within them as in-person instruction returns. Specifically, I suggest it could contribute to rebuilding social connection and community, bolstering mental health, and addressing inequities. Finally, I end with limitations and future directions for considering these extensions and evaluating their impact. School-based restorative justice alone cannot be a panacea for these issues, but could be integrated into other supports and services to address the stark needs of school communities and of the young people whose lives have been so deeply impacted by COVID-19.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 525-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Jane High

The protection and promotion of dignity is a foundational objective of restorative justice. Dignity-enhancing restorative justice practices, which are rooted in the traditional practices of Indigenous people groups, have been widely adopted in schools reactively, as a response to specific infractions. A growing number of schools are adopting restorative practices proactively, with a view to preventing misbehaviour by improving climate and strengthening relationships. This report from the Evanston / Skokie School District (K-8) in Illinois explores a cost-effective restorative practice implementation plan that focuses on volunteers and teachers partnering to introduce one key proactive practice, sharing circles, to classrooms. Using Donna Hicks’ “essential elements of dignity” as a framework, I argue that restorative circle initiatives are a simple and effective means of transforming school communities by acknowledging, promoting and honouring the dignity of students.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talia Sandwick ◽  
Josephine Wonsun Hahn ◽  
Lama Hassoun Ayoub

Increasingly, education policymakers are touting restorative justice as a way to interrupt the “school-to-prison pipeline,” which disproportionately impacts students by race, sexuality, and disability. A small but growing research literature suggests that restorative justice decreases suspension and behavioral incidents, while improving school climate—particularly when embraced as a schoolwide ethos, rather than a targeted disciplinary strategy. Restorative justice represents a marked departure from long-standing punitive approaches to discipline, however, and school communities are eager for support in navigating this culture shift. To this end, this article presents findings from case studies of five diverse NYC schools using restorative justice approaches. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews and focus groups with educators, students, parents, and school safety agents, our findings provide insight into key practices and resources, stakeholder perceptions, and challenges of and practical strategies for building holistic, schoolwide restorative justice. We present a series of “lessons” to inform restorative justice practice and policy, underscoring the importance of community-building, deliberate resources and infrastructure, interrogating localized and systemic power dynamics, and elevating student leadership. 


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