Restorative Justice

"Restorative Justice is a philosophy and an approach to discipline that moves away from punishment toward restoring a sense of harmony and well-being for all those affected by a hurtful act.  It provides families, schools, and communities a way to ensure accountability while at the same time breaking the cycle of retribution and violence.  It is based on a view of resilience in children and youth and their capability to solve problems, as opposed to the youth themselves being the problems adults must fix.  It focuses not on retribution but on reconnecting severed relationships and re-empowering individuals by holding them responsible.  This approach acknowledges that, when a person does harm, it affects the persons they hurt, the community, and themselves.  When using restorative practices, an attempt is made to repair the harm caused by one person to another and to the community so that everyone is moved toward healing. 

• A restorative approach in school requires students to think about themselves and how they deal with one another, and to work on developing healthy relationships and learning how to manage conflict.  Implementing a restorative approach in a school can have a positive impact on students at school and at home. 

• When Restorative Justice practices are consistently applied within a school wide context, they improve school climate, promote community, and reduce student misconduct.  They will also strengthen positive school culture and enhance pro-social relationships within the school community. 

• The Restorative Justice model is a three-tiered model of prevention, intervention and reentry in response to conflict/harm. 

• Restorative Justice practices work to lower suspension and expulsion rates and to foster positive school climates with the goal of eliminating racially disproportionate discipline practices."