Restorative Discovery Items

Video: Restorative Justice: Why Do We Need it? • BRAVE NEW FILMS (BNF)

Video (perhaps related to Restorative Practice)

The Work That Reconnects is informed by Deep Ecology, systems thinking, Gaia theory, and spiritual traditions (especially Buddhist and indigenous teachings), as well as group wisdom from earlier workshops. Common to all of these is a non-linear view of reality. It illuminates the mutuality at play in self-organizing systems, and unleashes the power of reciprocity. Furthermore, central to our use of systems thinking and the Buddha Dharma is the recognition that self-reflexive consciousness is a function of choice-making. Whatever the limitations of our life, we are still free to choose which version of reality –or story about our world– we value and want to serve. We can choose to align with business as usual , the unraveling of living systems, or the creation of a life-sustaining society.

New research from the University of Chicago Education Lab finds that restorative practices in schools can significantly reduce suspensions and student arrests for violent and non-violent offenses and increase student perceptions of belonging and school safety.  

The study, which evaluated the effect of restorative practices rolled out across Chicago public high schools beginning in the 2013-2014 academic year, suggests these practices are generating genuine, positive changes in student behavior. Schools that implemented RP policies saw out-of-school suspensions fall 18%. There was a 35% reduction in student arrests in school and a 15% reduction in out-of-school student arrests. The study saw declines in arrests for both violent and non-violent offenses.

Truth-telling has been key to restoring trust and repairing relationships in post-conflict settings around the world. Historical truth-telling is increasingly seen as an important part of restorative justice in settler-colonial contexts.

Non-Indigenous Australians need to actively seek the truth about past violence and injustice against Indigenous Australians.

Through his own work within, and outside, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Father Griffith sees the Catholic faith as not only complementing restorative justice but enhancing it. In the past decade, emerging restorative justice practices local Church leaders and laity have used to guide the archdiocese through pain on a path toward healing have become a model for other groups seeking to do the same.

“Restorative justice for me starts at home,” Michael Hoffman said. A member of St. Mary of the Woods in Chicago, Hoffman said his primary act of recovery as a clergy abuse survivor happened in 2006.

A new study shows restorative practices are more beneficial than traditional discipline for students. Dr Anjali Adukia from the University of Chicago and executive director Bessie Alcantara of Alternatives Inc. joined WGN Weekend Morning News to share more on their initiative towards restorative justice.
 

More than 5,600 Jamaicans across the island have been equipped with skills in restorative justice (RJ) better enabling them to prevent and manage conflicts.

Acting Director of the RJ Branch in the Justice Ministry’s Social Justice Division, Saccsha Ebanks, said the RJ facilitators in each parish have been instrumental in the training process.

“Every day our officers get the chance to participate in the healing of our nation. Every day they guide our clients towards achieving peace and harmony. Being trained in RJ practices enables citizens to prevent conflict and solve them when they arise,” she told JIS News in a recent interview.

 WA Commissioner for Equal Opportunity Dr John Byrne spoke at the Restorative Justice - Empowering Victims conference held by the Department of Justice recently.

Dr Byrne spoke about how increased awareness of sexual harassment had improved workplace responses to victims' allegations.

He said the #MeToo movement that started over a decade ago has steadily built momentum by publicising inappropriate sexualised behaviour.

"In my opinion this has had an effect on reducing sexual harassment in the workplace," he said.

Dr Byrne went on to explain how the Commission's complaint process can provide restorative justice to victims of sexual and racial harassment.

'The important role of justice in energy transition technologies has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years. However, key questions remain about how inequities influence energy transition innovations (ETIs) from their design to their widespread use, which ETIs receive more funding, and who controls ETI research, prototyping and deployment. Here we propose a framework to centre justice in energy transition innovations (CJI) and examine how three tenets of justice (recognition, procedural and distributional justice) influence each level of ETI, including niche, regime and landscape levels. We examine wind energy in Mexico and multiple ETIs in Los Angeles as use cases to show how our CJI framework can help reveal the specific inequities undermining just energy transitions at crucial analytical levels of ETI in practice. Our CJI framework offers a path for promoters, practitioners and underserved communities to target the problems these groups face and create ETIs that better address their specific aspirations, needs and circumstances.'

Abstract:

The important role of justice in energy transition technologies has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years. However, key questions remain about how inequities influence energy transition innovations (ETIs) from their design to their widespread use, which ETIs receive more funding, and who controls ETI research, prototyping and deployment. Here we propose a framework to centre justice in energy transition innovations (CJI) and examine how three tenets of justice (recognition, procedural and distributional justice) influence each level of ETI, including niche, regime and landscape levels. We examine wind energy in Mexico and multiple ETIs in Los Angeles as use cases to show how our CJI framework can help reveal the specific inequities undermining just energy transitions at crucial analytical levels of ETI in practice. Our CJI framework offers a path for promoters, practitioners and underserved communities to target the problems these groups face and create ETIs that better address their specific aspirations, needs and circumstances.

The International Institute for Restorative Practices (the IIRP), located in Bethlehem, PA, is the world’s first accredited graduate school that specializes in studying the field of restorative practices, providing education, research, and consulting services.

At the heart of restorative practices is the understanding that human beings are instilled with the need to connect and grow with each other. The IIRP supports students and community leaders with the tools they need to transform relationships and effect change within their own lives as well as within public and private K-12 educational institutions, public and private four-year residential colleges and universities, non-governmental agencies (NGOs), and community-based organizations (CBOs). Through strong academic offerings combined with a real-life approach to education, the IIRP helps mend issues and makes resilient and meaningful relationships thrive.

Dedicated to Growing and Teaching the Science of Relationships and Community Master of Science | Graduate Certificate | Professional Development The International Institute for Restorative Practices (the IIRP), located in Bethlehem, PA, is the world’...

At its heart, restorative justice requires both parties working together to better understand each other’s needs and motivations in order to repair their relationship, find forgiveness, heal the harm done and find a peaceful resolution. This does not mean that perpetrators are absolved with a pardon.

The restorative lens also requires the wider community, who are indirectly impacted by the harm, to come together and offer support for this healing journey while ensuring the underlying needs/grievances that caused such harm are minimised. Likewise, communities engaged in the process learn to replace punishment with healing, hatred with forgiveness. This allows the space required to overcome shame, intimidation and judgement for both victim and offender, while facilitating the restoration of harmed relationships.

Calls for action on restorative practice in healthcare

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Restorative Justice has published an important and insightful report, Implementing Restorative Practice in Education, Health, and Social Care.

The report highlights compelling examples of restorative practice in the NHS, but also stresses its implementation is variable and hindered by common obstacles, including lack of funding, insufficient leadership buy-in and the absence of cohesive government strategy.

This report sets out some of the current uses of restorative justice and restorative practices across England and Wales. In its recommendations, it identifies 9 key suggestions for what more can be done to increase performance and outcomes.

Prepared by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Restorative Justice, this report is based on written evidence received from 57 services providers, practitioners, national organisations and academics, and from ten oral evidence sessions with key stakeholders and those with lived experience of restorative justice.

'Restorative discipline practices are a promising solution.
Based on the philosophy of Restorative Justice, an
approach used in the criminal legal system that emphasizes
the reparation of harm between victims and offenders,
restorative practices (RP) promote the development of
socio-emotional learning by encouraging self-reflection,
empathetic listening, and the creation of non-judgmental
spaces for conflict resolution. '
 

https://www.nationalcenterforrestorativejustice.com/online-courses

'Restorative Justice Asynchronous:

Theory and classroom practices. We believe that RJ is something best practiced in person. However, we know not everyone can join an in-person training, and want to make RJ as accessible to you as possible. This course will cover the definitions and underpinning principles of Restorative Justice; it will also cover a number of restorative practices. These practices include: Relationship Building Circles, Accountability Circles, and a few other in-classroom tools. '

Online Restorative Justice (Practice) training for educators, teachers, principals, and all school staff. Learn how to reduce out of school and out of classroom time. Learn how to engage productively in conflict in classrooms and schools. We provide both practical teaching strategies and strategi

'Victim-survivors of domestic, family, and sexual violence who participated in restorative justice in the ACT felt safer, better supported, and more in control because of their involvement in the scheme, an Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) evaluation of the ACT’s restorative justice scheme has found.

“This evaluation found restorative justice provides an important mechanism for persons harmed to seek redress in the aftermath of domestic and family violence and sexual violence victimisation, and for persons responsible to address the factors associated with their offending,” Siobhan Lawler, senior research analyst at the AIC, said.'

Victim-survivors of violence who participated in restorative justice in the ACT felt safer, better supported, and more in control.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/restorative-justice-feasible-pathway-soci...

Restorative practices and social work are both solution-based processes. This means that rather than focusing exclusively on the problems at hand, they concentrate on paths to healing and reconciliation. Restorative justice can be used to purposefully address social justice issues, offering an avenue through which the community can re-establish its role in criminal justice.

At their core, both restorative justice and social justice aim to challenge power imbalances, rectify harm, and promote inclusivity and fairness. Their shared focus on creating a fair and equal society suggests that the two can mutually reinforce each other, serving as both theoretical concepts and practical tools for societal transformation.

According to Julia Wade, Ed.D., associate director of restorative practices, restorative justice processes are guided by three questions: What happened? Who is affected? How and what can be done to repair the harm?

Modern restorative justice practices originate from various African and indigenous traditions of “sitting in a circle, telling stories, sharing wisdom, making decisions that a group needs to make and … addressing harm or holding people accountable if something has happened in the community," said Wade.

Rooted in African and indigenous practices, Restorative Justice Week centers around victims instead of perpetrators, working to repair harm and build community ties.

On Tuesday, November 21st, NACRJ hosted an online Circle in recognition of Restorative Justice Week. Commencing with insights and perspectives from several Indigenous community members, the event proceeded with participants forming small groups of 8-10 individuals, each group supported by a Circle Keeper. Together, they reflected on a set of guiding questions.

The event brought together people from across the country and, true to the nature of Circle, the process fostered connections and drew out pearls of wisdom from each participant. As part of Restorative Justice Week, we share with you the reflection questions that guided these meaningful conversations:

1. Restorative justice and many Indigenous teachings emphasize the importance of relationships and connection. How can each of us work toward a more connected and harmonious world even in the presence of our diverse backgrounds and lived experiences?

2. How might embracing a restorative justice or Indigenous worldview, emphasizing relationships, connection, balance, and restoration, strengthen your personal life, family, community, or the broader world? Are there places within your own life or broader world that could benefit from this type of approach right now?

3. What personal practices do you have, or might consider trying, that reflect your commitment to restorative justice principles (e.g., connection, balance, restoration)?

4. Reflect on the aspects of your life that provide a sense of meaning and purpose. How do these elements contribute to your ability to stay hopeful and balanced even when things in your life or the world feel overwhelming, complex, or challenging?

https://www.routledge.com/Contemporary-Issues-in-Restorative-Practice/bo...

Contemporary Issues in Restorative Practice explores the processes and techniques used to resolve and/or prevent crime and conflict using restorative principles. Each book in the series addresses a theme within a specific setting and contains a range of pedagogical features on ‘how to’ achieve effective practice. Whilst incorporating a wide range of real-life examples, authors will also ground practice within the established conceptual and theoretical literature and, where appropriate, develop this further. In this way, the series will support both academic and professional development through a synthesis of experiential and evidential knowledge. The series will appeal to practitioners, researchers, scholars, and organisations with an interest in restorative justice and restorative practices.

Routledge & CRC Press Series: Contemporary Issues in Restorative Practice explores the processes and techniques used to resolve and/or prevent crime and conflict using restorative principles

https://www.denver7.com/news/front-range/denver/denvers-bruce-randolph-s...

A group of students at Bruce Randolph School in Denver are putting the finishing touches on a special mural that’s served as an artistic outlet for the past few months.

'The important role of justice in energy transition technologies has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years. However, key questions remain about how inequities influence energy transition innovations (ETIs) from their design to their widespread use, which ETIs receive more funding, and who controls ETI research, prototyping and deployment. Here we propose a framework to centre justice in energy transition innovations (CJI) and examine how three tenets of justice (recognition, procedural and distributional justice) influence each level of ETI, including niche, regime and landscape levels. We examine wind energy in Mexico and multiple ETIs in Los Angeles as use cases to show how our CJI framework can help reveal the specific inequities undermining just energy transitions at crucial analytical levels of ETI in practice. Our CJI framework offers a path for promoters, practitioners and underserved communities to target the problems these groups face and create ETIs that better address their specific aspirations, needs and circumstances.'

Justice is increasingly recognized as a core proposition for energy transitions, but questions remain about how it manifests in energy transition innovations. This Perspective introduces a framework for centring justice consideration in these innovations across levels, illustrating its use through t...

https://www.iirp.edu/about/the-iirp-graduate-school

The International Institute for Restorative Practices (the IIRP), located in Bethlehem, PA, is the world’s first accredited graduate school that specializes in studying the field of restorative practices, providing education, research, and consulting services.

At the heart of restorative practices is the understanding that human beings are instilled with the need to connect and grow with each other. The IIRP supports students and community leaders with the tools they need to transform relationships and effect change within their own lives as well as within public and private K-12 educational institutions, public and private four-year residential colleges and universities, non-governmental agencies (NGOs), and community-based organizations (CBOs). Through strong academic offerings combined with a real-life approach to education, the IIRP helps mend issues and makes resilient and meaningful relationships thrive.

Dedicated to Growing and Teaching the Science of Relationships and Community Master of Science | Graduate Certificate | Professional Development The International Institute for Restorative Practices (the IIRP), located in Bethlehem, PA, is the world’...