Restorative justice – looking for tips on good experiences with it -

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Restorative justice seems like it offers many rewards – but is that only in theory?

I seek instances were restorative justice was particularly helpful; and what was it that made it so –

There are many factors that vary, for instance do parents/guardians need to be there in order to make it work? If parents and guardians are not present, is it really restorative justice - or just students in an office being told to say sorry.

Does someone have an experience where the bullying ("You're stupid and ugly”)/hitting/pushing/kicking actually diminished after a restorative justice circle?

Why would parents need to be there? IMO having parents involved is one of the LEAST restorative ways to handle problems between kids. Because it becomes all about the parents being appeased or getting defensive, and nothing about the kids.

Because the parents are capable of spotting manipulation and BS by the adults in the room better than little kids AND calling it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope even the Ron Brown school that heralded the use found out after the first year how tough it is and learned that it doesn’t work for students who are serious offenders. There is a podcast about it and some reporters did a follow up a year or so after the school opened. It takes a massive amount of training and staff resources that most schools won’t have.

Local school system tried and failed at implementing it.

Nice in theory. Does not work.

[Anonymous]

I think this article does a good job discussing the issues with Restorative Justice while also recognizing its benefits:

https://www.victimsweek.gc.ca/symp-colloque/past-passe/2009/presentation/arlg_1.html

"Restorative justice has great potential for the parties involved and for the community. However, it is not the magic solution to all evils. It remains an option for some crimes in some circumstances and under some conditions."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think most people's liking of restorative justice lasts until the second time their kid gets hit. Then that's the end of it.

Yep. The "problem child" in my child's 3rd grade class punched my kid when the teacher wasn't paying attention. I tried to forgive him like asked.

A month later, the kid broke my kid's thumb on the playground.

The admin wanted to do a RJ session.

No effing way ... I went berserk.

[Anonymous]

Did you obtain a satisfactory resolution?

[Anonymous]

There’s nothing good about it

[Anonymous]

I am the originator of the question — and I have heard nothing favorable about this type of process. I mean, I am surprised that there isn’t one single example of victims feeling more positive.

I wonder if any of you had the RJ-specialist from the central office oversee your RJ process — ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the originator of the question — and I have heard nothing favorable about this type of process. I mean, I am surprised that there isn’t one single example of victims feeling more positive.

I wonder if any of you had the RJ-specialist from the central office oversee your RJ process — ?

If the implementation of a program is such that it's nearly always implemented very badly, then it's a bad program, even if it was designed by well-meaning people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Might be useful in ECE. In upper ES and beyond it does not work. Kids need boundaries and consequences. When there are no real consequences they figure it out real quick. A conversation about how they made someone feel and having to apologize is not a consequence.

+1

[Anonymous]

(I asked the original question — and here is my follows up.)

So the article on RJ from Canada merely compares this alternative process relative to criminal adjudication via court. Alas, it really doesn’t “apples-to-apples” apply to a school system yet, I found it interesting. I would be more interested in reports detailing which situations RJ works best in primary and secondary schools.

My follow up question — if RJ provided no help to a child who acts out/hateful words/physical violence nor the community trying to address the troubled child and the damage around them — how does the school deal with such situations? Can it be that all of these kids referenced in this thread just moved to a new school?

I know schools are moving away from out of school suspension (rightfully in my opinion) and toward in school suspension — but what other tools are available?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(I asked the original question — and here is my follows up.)

So the article on RJ from Canada merely compares this alternative process relative to criminal adjudication via court. Alas, it really doesn’t “apples-to-apples” apply to a school system yet, I found it interesting. I would be more interested in reports detailing which situations RJ works best in primary and secondary schools.

My follow up question — if RJ provided no help to a child who acts out/hateful words/physical violence nor the community trying to address the troubled child and the damage around them — how does the school deal with such situations? Can it be that all of these kids referenced in this thread just moved to a new school?

I know schools are moving away from out of school suspension (rightfully in my opinion) and toward in school suspension — but what other tools are available?

Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) seems to be the model for RJ. There are lots of articles about their use of RJ. There are also mentions of Chicago, Brooklyn, and a few other areas you can google.

The implementation of RJ in the DMV area seems to have largely failed, which is why no one talks about it glowingly over here. Too much reliance on teachers to implement RJ and not enough dedicated RJ facilitators from what I can gather.

Part of the problem is that effective RJ requires an investment most school districts don't have the budget for. Even then it's not a cure all. The offender has to be willing to take responsibility and make meaningful restitution. Schools still need traditional forms of punishment to deal with offenders who don't take it seriously.

[Anonymous]

RJ is not supposed to be replacement for consequences like suspensions. However, that it what is has been turned into to allow schools to claim they have reduced disparities in suspensions. That is why it has such a negative reaction around here.

That said, there are a lot of good things that can come out of RJ, that are very quiet. The negative experiences get a far bigger reaction, usually due to poor implementation or put on students who are obviously repeat offenders and don't buy into RJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RJ is not supposed to be replacement for consequences like suspensions. However, that it what is has been turned into to allow schools to claim they have reduced disparities in suspensions. That is why it has such a negative reaction around here.

That said, there are a lot of good things that can come out of RJ, that are very quiet. The negative experiences get a far bigger reaction, usually due to poor implementation or put on students who are obviously repeat offenders and don't buy into RJ.

Even though there can be positive outcomes, what ratio of good to bad experiences is acceptable? I think even a 2:1 ratio wouldn't be enough. You need to make very few mistakes if you can potentially retraumatize victims. Most people are not okay with hurting the victims even more, especially parents.

[Anonymous]

No good experiences .

Our 3rd grader says she will never tell the teacher what happened as a witness because “everything gets worse” when you go for the “restorative Justice session” with the bully, victims, witnesses and Guidance Counselor.

She has seen bullies flat out lie and lie at these sessions and nothing good happens.
And then there is serious retaliation thereafter by said bully.

Teachers do nothing.
In fact, the threshold is so low for being sent to these “sessions” that no one takes them seriously - and sadly the bad bullying gets limped here as well- and many times the counselor is. It even in her office. So kids jsut wander around and return to class laughing.

Private school, Wash DC. In tenleytown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:(I asked the original question — and here is my follows up.)

So the article on RJ from Canada merely compares this alternative process relative to criminal adjudication via court. Alas, it really doesn’t “apples-to-apples” apply to a school system yet, I found it interesting. I would be more interested in reports detailing which situations RJ works best in primary and secondary schools.

My follow up question — if RJ provided no help to a child who acts out/hateful words/physical violence nor the community trying to address the troubled child and the damage around them — how does the school deal with such situations? Can it be that all of these kids referenced in this thread just moved to a new school?

I know schools are moving away from out of school suspension (rightfully in my opinion) and toward in school suspension — but what other tools are available?

Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) seems to be the model for RJ. There are lots of articles about their use of RJ. There are also mentions of Chicago, Brooklyn, and a few other areas you can google.

The implementation of RJ in the DMV area seems to have largely failed, which is why no one talks about it glowingly over here. Too much reliance on teachers to implement RJ and not enough dedicated RJ facilitators from what I can gather.

Part of the problem is that effective RJ requires an investment most school districts don't have the budget for. Even then it's not a cure all. The offender has to be willing to take responsibility and make meaningful restitution. Schools still need traditional forms of punishment to deal with offenders who don't take it seriously.

No

It’s a failed concept with no teeth.

More money or personnel or resource or “training” will not help a bad, ineffective concept or practice be an effective one. Don’t bother us with that illogic.