Restorative justice refers to all efforts that are aimed at restoring perceived injustices between people as a result of tensions and conflicts, however serious they may have been. The practice allows the involved parties to discuss the underlying causes of the conflict in a deeper manner. In a sense, it offers an alternative avenue for expressing and dealing with thoughts and emotions, much of which is impossible within the courts and institutions that are usually tasked with handling such conflicts (Wachtel, 2013). Therefore, restorative justice allows involved participants to gain closure, and even attempt to forgive, make amends, and normalize relationships between those who would have otherwise harbored unhealthy resentment for longer than necessary. Restorative justice is used in various settings for people of all ages. For instance, it can be used in school settings in order to ameliorate serious conflicts between students, and prevent any fallouts as a result of such conflicts.
The implication that restorative justice has on school culture is that many conflicts and hostile relationships between people can be resolved with great efficiency given proper mediation, thereby ensuring that no resentments are carried on into adulthood. This also implies the rise of a school culture which teaches students the value of reconciliation and open-mindedness, thereby preparing a generation of people to be better equipped to handle conflicts in their society.
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When it comes to my classroom environment, the implication that restorative justice would have would be greater accountability for the actions of all students in the class. This implies that students will be more likely to adhere to rules and procedures, but also
that they will able to always expect to be faced with all of their actions and consequences sooner or later. Furthermore, students can expect that every effort will be made to bring closure to any conflictual relationship that they are involved in, and which is ultimately proving to be harmful.
There are many ways in which restorative justice practices can be implemented in classroom management. In my opinion, the most effective approach consists of directly addressing the aftermaths of conflicts and outbursts, without giving parties too much time to exacerbate the issue further, or come up with false excuses for their actions. A direct and somewhat aggressive approach leads to injustices being addressed immediately, ensuring that an equilibrium is reached in terms of the perceived fairness between the conflicting parties.
It is also useful to approach restorative justice proactively, in the sense that students could benefit from being taught about the concept in advance, allowing them to apply many of the concepts onto their own existing conflictual relationships which may be characterized by perceived injustices. Furthermore, this would orient students towards a problem-solving mindset when it comes to conflicts, thereby reducing their own likelihood of participating in interpersonal disagreements, or at least minimizing their duration and impact (“Restorative practices: Fostering healthy relationships & promoting positive discipline in schools,” 2014).
I believe that restorative justice is an extremely effective alternative to existing responses and punishments to conflicts and rule-breaking. For instance, many schools have already implemented such programs with great success (PBS NewsHour, 2014). Instead of punishing students, they are placed through special programs in which they are encouraged to speak out and discuss any underlying problems with others. This allows students to feel greater inclusion and self-esteem, because restorative justice essentially encourages greater communication and understanding between everyone that is involved. I believe this is not only useful for solving conflicts and problematic behavior, but also for providing an extremely beneficial environment to students to develop and gain their education in.
- PBS NewsHour. (2014). Colorado high school replaces punishment with “talking circles.” Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8_94O4ExSA&feature=youtu.be
- Restorative practices: Fostering healthy relationships & promoting positive discipline in schools. (2014). Retrieved October 27, 2018, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzkSSOpBJlTMRGx6TFljY2xERGc/view?usp=embed_facebook
- Wachtel, T. (2013). Defining restorative justice. Retrieved October 27, 2018, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzkSSOpBJlTMVklzUXp1MllTOVk/view?usp=embed_facebook
