Restorative Practices In Depth
Restorative Practices encompass many aspects such as Restorative Justice, Restorative Circles, Restorative Dialogue and Restorative Conferences. Below you will find an explanation of a few aspects of Restorative Practices.
Restorative Justice
According to the Restorative Justice Exchange, “Restorative Justice is a response to wrongdoing that prioritizes repairing harm and recognizes that maintaining positive relationships with others is a core human need. It seeks to address the root causes of crime, even to the point of transforming unjust systems and structures.”3 This practice and mindset is completely paradoxical to the forms of justice we see today. It requires the offender of a crime to take responsibility for their actions and seek to repair them with the victim and community members (stakeholders) who have been harmed by those actions. The results of these encounters are transformative to individuals and communities. Instead of shifting blame or deflecting, offenders are challenged to take accountability and admit harm. Instead of harboring resentment or hate, victims are asked to curiously open their hearts to apologies and forgiveness. Instead of the responding with drama and gossip, community members are required to foster peace and reconciliation. Restorative Justice is only one part of Restorative Practices that addresses situations where harm has occurred. Through building and strengthening relationships with other Restorative Practices, it is the hope that Restorative Justice need only be used sparingly, because harm is less likely to occur if other Practices are being used proactively in communities.
Circles
Circles are another part of Restorative Practices that allow for the building and strengthening of relationships in a community. Whether it be a classroom, school, or neighborhood, Circles seek to lay a strong foundation for communities in order to form meaningful, powerful connections with their members. The vision of Circles is to form connections that are so profound, that harm is avoided as much as possible because of mutual respect and acceptance between members of a community. Circles are often led by a Facilitator and Co-Facilitator who guide members through a series of prompts, questions, and connection activities. Below you will find an example of the steps of a Restorative Circle:
1.Grounding Technique to get the group focused (ie. ringing a bell or doing a breathing exercise)
2.Reviewing Circle Guidelines
3.Check-In to see how everyone is feeling
4.Establishing Values to understand what motivates everyone
5.Question Rounds
6.Connection Activity
7.Closing
Circles can not only be used to form meaningful connections within a community, but also when harm has occurred and repair must take place.