By Angela Anderson
Restorative justice was first designed as an innovative approach to criminal justice reform. Instead of a focus on punishment for the offender, the emphasis turns to addressing needs and obligations that restore relationships, (Morrison, 2015). Restorative justice practices in the criminal justice system originated in the 1970s as mediation or reconciliation between victims and offenders. Use of restorative practices is increasing worldwide, not only in educational contexts and criminal justice, but in social work, counseling, youth services, the workplace and faith-based organizations, (Richardson, 2022).
Over time, restorative justice evolved from a focus on responding to harm and conflict to a focus on building a healthy school culture. A restorative school culture recognizes that people, and their relationships with each other, form the cornerstone of both safety and learning, (Riestenberg, 2012). Advocates for this approach argue that by practicing restorative justice, educators can reduce the domino effect between suspension and incarceration (interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline), and foster a more inclusive school climate, (Wadhwa, 2015).
Restorative justice is classified as a relational approach to school discipline as opposed to a behaviorist approach, (like zero-tolerance or positive behavior support). In their writings, education researchers Irby and Clough (2014) indicate that relational disciple emphasizes the health, wellbeing, and maintenance of relationships between individuals, groups, and broader communities. In lieu of codified rules and policies, respect for self and others, individual responsibility, social justice, reciprocity in relationships, and learning itself provide the impetus for guiding student behavior. Through formal and informal means, teachers work to develop within students a capacity for self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Relational discipline approaches seek to develop within students and communities an internal locus of control. Punishments, rewards, and incentives are not altogether abandoned, but are regarded as low in value and thus not centered in the discipline process, (Irby & Clough, 2014).
Whole-school models of restorative justice are aligned with public health and ecological models of interconnected relationships; seeking to improve relationships among students, teachers, and staff, strengthen school climate, strengthen equity and culturally sensitive practices, and support social-emotional leaning. Rather than view restorative practices as isolated and responsive to singular issues or incidents, they incorporate a multilevel system of primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions. Gonzalez (2018) highlights that whole-school approaches seek to develop and enhance relational ecology at each level of the model. Thus, she states whole-school relational approaches address not only serious instances of harm and aggression, but also the necessary relationships inside and outside the classroom to facilitate normative change, (Gonzalez, 2018).
The most common restorative justice practices across frameworks that educators currently use in classrooms in the United States are community circles, including proactive circles and reactive circles and small group mediations. Proactive circles aim to develop relationships and build community bonds, whereas reactive circles respond to wrongdoing, conflicts, and problems. Richardson (2022) details that community circles are used as a tool to teach social-emotional skills such as listening, respect, and problem solving. Community circles provide people a chance to speak and listen to one another in a safe atmosphere and allow educators and students to be heard and offer their own perspectives to the group. Circles are also used as emotional check-ins, to celebrate students, and to begin and close the day with reflection, (National Opportunity to Learn Campaign, 2014). When used responsively to conflicts, circles allow the community to come together and offer individuals, including the student or students responsible for any harm, the opportunity to verbalize their experience and be heard by others, seek resolution and fix any discord. On the other hand, small group mediations are usually facilitated by an educator and may be organized informally following a conflict or formally following a suspension to reintegrate the student into the school community, (Richardson, 2022).
Richardson (2022) also points out that resources for incorporating restorative justice in the classroom are mostly geared towards middle and high schoolers who theoretically already possess a basic emotional vocabulary and the ability to use it. Therefore, vocabulary first needs to be taught at the early elementary level to ensure student success with restorative justice models, (Richardson, 2022)
References
Irby, D., & Clough, C. (2014). Consistency rules: a critical exploration of a universal principle of school discipline.
Pedagogy, Culture & Society , 23 (2), 153–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2014.932300
González, T., Sattler, H., & Buth, A. J. (2018). New directions in whole-school restorative justice implementation.
Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 36(3), 207–220. https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21236
Hurley, N. & Guckenburg, S. (2015). What future research is needed on restorative justice in schools. Boston: West Ed
Morrison, B., (2015) Restorative justice in education: changing lenses on education's three Rs, Restorative
Justice, 3:3, 445-452, DOI: 10.1080/20504721.2015.1109367
National Opportunity to Learn Campaign. (2014, March). Restorative Practices: Fostering Healthy Relationships & Promoting. http://schottfoundation.org/sites/default/files/restorative-practices-guide.pdf
Richardson, J. (2022). An Introduction to Restorative Justice Practices in K-12 Schools: Theory and Common
Practices. Academia Letters. https://doi.org/10.20935/al4742
Riestenberg, N. (2012). Circle in the square: building community and repairing harm in schools. St Paul: Living Justice Press.
Wadhwa, A. (2015). Restorative justice in urban schools: disrupting the school to prison pipeline. New York: Routledge.