Imagine this
A student in your class or in the class of your friend, we'll call them Royal, steals money from the desk of another student, Oakley. What should the teacher do? What should the kids' parents do?
Typically...
If your school is anything like a typical school, the Royal will be sent to the principal, maybe expected to repay the money, and then disciplined. Maybe they are given in-school punishment like detention or essay writing, or maybe they are even expelled for a set amount of time or maybe the issue is turned over the police.
What do you think the students learn from this experience? Do you think it will heal the harm done by Royal in stealing? Will it make Oakley feel better?
Maybe?
And, maybe we need another way to restore wholeness when someone has been harmed?
Restorative Justice is one alternative. Take a look at it and decide what YOU think.
Restorative Justice with the Centre for Justice & Reconciliation
According to The Centre for Justice & Reconciliation, Restorative Justice has "3 big ideas:"
(1) repair: crime causes harm and justice requires repairing that harm;
(2) encounter: the best way to determine how to do that is to have the parties decide together; and
(3) transformation: this can cause fundamental changes in people, relationships and communities.
A more formal definition is this: Restorative Justice is a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior. It is best accomplished through cooperative processes that allow all willing stakeholders to meet, although other approaches are available when that is impossible. This can lead to transformation of people, relationships and communities. (link)
Example
What would it look like for Royal and Oakley to participate in Restorative Justice after the money was stolen? We might not know now, but the adults involved would need to be sure that both Oakley and Royal are safe. Then, Royal might have a consequence of some kind. But, the big difference is that the two parties would have the chance to work together to heal the damage done to their relationship and to the bigger community.
In my household, when someone is hurt (physically, emotionally) we ask each other "how can I make it right"? Sometimes it means bringing an ice pack, giving a hug, or even just sitting together. The goal is not to shame, embarass, or hurt the other person in return, but to heal.
Next Steps
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Learn More about Restorative Justice. I have loved reading the resources on the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation's website (link). If this topic interests you, there are a lot of paths to get lost on.
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Reflect. What does Justice look like at your home, school, homeschool group, church, or other community? Do they practice RJ? What would you change about how harm is repaired in this group?
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Faith in Action. Work with the adults in your community to investigate options for including more RJ in the community.
Additional Resources
What the Heck Is Restorative Justice? By Heather Wolpert-Gawron
Share!
If you can capture your ideas in paint, in crayon, on film, or in another way, we would love to see what you've made! Post on the Share Ur Stuff (blog).
Restorative Justice
Create!
Once you think through these questions, find a way to express yourself. Maybe you want to write about it, build a sculpture, act it out, or paint, draw, color your thoughts! I'm hoping for interpretative dance or puppet shows!