Restorative Practice Resources Tagged With: Research

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.

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.

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 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.'

Academic article: Extract:

The Australian National University and Australian Institute of Criminology were commissioned by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Justice and Community Safety Directorate to undertake an impact evaluation of the restorative justice conferencing program. There were two components to this evaluation.

The first involved the analysis of surveys of offenders, victims and their support persons conducted by the Restorative Justice (RJ) Unit following each conference.

The second involved using criminal history data provided by ACT Policing to conduct an analysis of reoffending among the 1,143 participants in restorative justice conferencing (RJC) compared with 4,668 young offenders dealt with at the same time through the normal process, whose criminal history had been tracked until September 2016.

Abstract

Restorative justice has long been positioned as a justice mechanism that prioritises emotion and its expression. It is also unique in its ritual elements, such as the ritualized expression of anger and the symbolic exchange of apology and forgiveness.

This paper draws on insights from research and practice in restorative justice and recent developments in criminology/legal theory and the philosophy of justice to suggest some ways that the broader criminal justice landscape can incorporate elements of successful restorative justice rituals into its practice.

I argue that the unique elements of restorative justice- its ability to harness anger into a deliberative ritual for victims and offenders, its focus on symbolic reparations, and its ability to engender a form of forward-looking forgiveness that promotes civility can provide a framework for rethinking how criminal justice institutions operate.

'Some advocate for training SROs to be more restorative; however, SROs have shown that training on how to interact with students as mentors does not change their racist policing behaviors.

Before Minneapolis Public Schools terminated their contract with the MPD, they had been unsuccessfully trying to transform the role of their SROs from “enforcer” to “mentor” and still police officers were disproportionately “interacted with” black students. (Minneapolis Star Tribune) In 2016, the Police Accountability Task Force released a report that found systemic and institutionalized racism in all areas of the Chicago Police Department.

The task force concluded that “CPD’s own data and other information strongly suggests that CPD’s response to the violence is not sufficiently imbued with Constitutional policing tactics and is also comparatively void of actual procedural and restorative justice in the day-to-day encounters between the police and citizens.”'

'IIRP Continuing Education brings together leading research, theory and practice. We offer a growing array of online professional development events to teach you concepts and soft skills needed to stand out in your professional environment. Our experienced instructors are skilled practitioners, adept at helping you learn and implement restorative practices in your setting. For more than 10 years, the IIRP Graduate School has pioneered master's-level online learning in the social science of relationships and community. Our faculty bring their wealth of knowledge to support the design and structure of our online offerings.'

'Dalhousie University is officially launching the first ever international lab focused on restorative justice, with the support of the Donald R. Sobey Foundation. The Restorative Research, Innovation & Education Lab (RRIELab), located in the Schulich School of Law, will be led by a fully funded chair held by Professor Jennifer Llewelyn, a distinguished global leader in restorative justice. The lab’s vision is to be a global centre of excellence that will accelerate the growth and development of a restorative approach to protect the health, safety and well-being of individuals and communities in Canada. The initial focus of the RRIELab will be on accelerating the growth and development of restorative justice as a key component to transform the justice system in Canada, as well as supporting the development of restorative cities around the world and responding to institutional abuses and failures.'

'The Psychology of Emotion in Restorative Practice How Affect Script Psychology Explains How and Why Restorative Practice Works Edited by Vernon Kelly and Margaret Thorsborne How and why does restorative practice (RP) work? This book presents the biological theory, affect script psychology (ASP), behind RP, and shows how it works in practice in different settings. "This is a splendid contribution to clarifying what we know and what we do not yet understand about what makes restorative justice fail or succeed. While much research and reflective practice remains to be done to fill great voids in our understanding, this book takes big steps forward. It is at once theoretically sophisticated and practically useful." – John Braithwaite, Distinguished Professor, Australian National University

'A new policing paradigm is called for as an integral part of policing, and not just an interjection of restorative justice processes into current policing practice. Restorative practices should underpin all policing and be guided by restorative justice values of respect, dialogue and relationships, and not focused on crime, but broadly on harmful wrongdoing and conflict and support for victims and affected communities. Restorative policing is a relational paradigm of policing that focuses on creating safer, more connected communities through restorative justice practices underpinned by restorative principles of safety, accountability, sustainability, relationship building and constructive engagement.'

'From here, you can access all past papers and special issues of the IJRJ. You just need to select the paper or issue that you wish to purchase and follow the steps. Our papers are published on an ongoing basis online only and they cost £3.99. We also publish special issues on key current topics with a minimum of 5 research papers. These cost £9.99.'

The CIJ researches, translates, advocates & applies innovative/alternative ways to improve the justice system, with a particular focus on appropriate/non-adversarial dispute resolution, therapeutic jurisprudence & restorative justice

In early March, just before the impacts of COVID-19 really started to be felt in Victoria, the CIJ was thrilled to launch the PIPA Project report. This report highlighted the way in which the current one-size-fits-all response to family violence may be doing more harm than good when it comes to adol...

Upcoming conference in November in Northern Ireland - celebrating 25 years of the Restorative Practices Forum!