Restorative Justice
Making
Things Right: Restorative Justice for School Communities
(Video and guidebook: $59.95)
 This video provides an overview of the principles
and
practices of Restorative Justice in school settings, and includes
interviews with teachers, administrators, parents, and students
who have all been impacted by the process.
What is Restorative Justice?
Restorative Justice represents a philosophy
and a process that acknowledges that when a person does harm,
it affects the person(s) they hurt, the community, and themselves.
When using Restorative Justice measures, an attempt is made
to repair the harm caused by one person to another and to
the community so that order is restored for everyone. By applying
Restorative Justice in schools, school personnel, parents,
and the community have another tool to use with children and
youth to repair harm and teach problem solving skills.
Restorative
Justice Booklet ONLY
In addition, it:
-
holds the offender directly accountable
for the harm done to individuals and/or the community,
and
-
goes beyond seeing wrong doings as simply
offenses against the law and the state and focuses on
transgression as violating human relationships and community
safety and well-being.
Why do we need Restorative Justice?
When offenders take responsibility for their
actions, they have the ability to restore order and relationships
in the lives they have disrupted.
Punitive measures often have the effect of further
discouraging and controlling those who need encouragement
and self-control the most.
When families, schools, and communities become
guiding factors in Restorative Justice, we move past simply
establishing blame and imposing punishment and start focusing
on problem solving, reconciliation, and building stronger
communities.
How are people involved?
The Victim or Victims:
- Have an opportunity to share their feelings about what
happened.
- Have a voice in how to right any wrongs done to them.
- Are able to move toward the process of forgiveness and
healing.
The Offender or Offenders:
- Have a chance to be responsible for their actions in
an authentic way and right their wrongs.
- Have an opportunity to be part of the solution, not
just the problem.
- Have an opportunity to develop empathy for the impact
of their behavior.
- Are able to restore order and relationships in the lives
they have disrupted.
- Are able to see themselves as crucial members to the
strength and vitality of our communities.
Families and Community Members:
- Have an opportunity to share their feelings about what
happened.
- Have a voice in how to right any wrongs done to them.
- Empowers them to be a part of a solution that builds
stronger communities.
- Are a part of creating authentic restitution programs.
- Strengthen their relationship with the youth and the
school.
Schools:
- Have a team involved in problem solving and solution
building.
- Are able to build stronger communities within the school.
What is the Restorative Justice Process?
- Opening Statement by Facilitator
- Recognizing the Injustice (offender, victim, then community)
- Building an Agreement for Repairing the Harm that Was
Done
- Signing Contract and Closure
Do Restorative Justice Programs Work?
- A Restorative Justice program has reduced an Australian
city’s police department referrals to juvenile court
by more than 50%.
- Victim offender mediation with juvenile offenders results
in a very high satisfaction for both victims (79%) and
offenders (87%).
- Victims (83%) and offenders (89%) who mediate think
the process is very fair.
- Participants experience mediation as a way of humanizing
the justice system’s response to crime.
- Restorative Justice programs send a strong message to
offenders that criminal behavior is not acceptable while
allowing offenders ways to make amends to their victims,
gain skills, and increase their positive attributes so
they can come back into the community as productive members
(from Restorative Justice, Center for Restorative
Justice & Mediation).
Who Gains From Restorative Justice Programs?
We all gain from programs that focus on integrating
youth back into the fabric of our communities. In the Restorative
Justice process, all voices are heard and all members are
active in the process of creating a new definition of justice.
How You Can Help
You can help be a part of implementing Restorative
Justice principles and practices in the community by doing
the following:
- When a wrongdoing or crime has occurred, be a part of
a restorative solution rather than a retributive solution.
Find a way for the offender to come back into moral standing
with your community. Consider using this process at home
in family meetings.
- Refer cases of wrongdoing and crime to restorative processes
that may exist in your community, including those that
are beginning at schools.
- Consider being trained as a community conference facilitator.
Pass along this brochure to a friend, neighbor,
or co-worker who might be interested in new ways of dealing
with crime and wrongdoing.
Restorative
Justice Program
Other Restorative
Justice Sites
For more information contact Kelly
Mitchell, Restorative Justice Coordinator. |
