Theory of trouble

by Dan Van Ness

The very interesting website Restorative Resources has this great quote from the organization's director:

"If, by the time a student has graduated high school, they have not gotten into significant trouble at least three times and found a positive way to resolve it each time, I suggest that their education is incomplete."

--Amos Clifford

As the father of a recent high school graduate, I'm not sure that I would have wished for my son to get into significant trouble three out of the four years he was there, but I get Clifford's point.

Jul 24, 2009 Limitations, Correspondent:Dan Van Ness, Support, Practice, Victim

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Personality and restorative justice

Matt K. writes on Life Skoolz:

There is a balance that is needed between restorative justice and the traditional court system. I would say that ever professional in the traditional setting needs to have a restorative mindset. They could all model those we have working in Gunnison County. Personality and personal connections are life.

Jul 21, 2009 Limitations, Support, Practice

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Building restorative cultures

by Dan Van Ness

Yesterday I wrote about the media treatment of a paper delivered by Dr. Hillary Cremin warning that restorative justice programmes alone are not enough to address bullying if there is not also a culture change at the school.

One newspaper reported that this meant that "trendy" restorative justice doesn't work to stop bullying. My entry yesterday considered the difficulty of working with media to present a nuanced argument when they are looking for soundbites to sell papers.

Today I want to consider another issue, one that Dr. Cremin raised in our correspondence:

Jul 15, 2009 Limitations, Theory, RJ City, Correspondent:Dan Van Ness, Report, Evaluation

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Offering Hope, Encouraging Change

By Lynette Parker

"A place where human potential is squashed." As I read this quote from someone working in prison ministry in Estonia, I couldn't help but contrast it with a statement made by an offender after a restorative conference, "I was happy because I think they really believe I can change."

I thought this was the highest form of compliment for the process and those who participated. When I shared the comment with a colleague, I said, "Sometimes that is all a person needs, the knowledge that someone else thinks he can do the right thing."

Jul 15, 2009 Limitations, Support, Practice, Correspondent:Lynette Parker

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Is there justice in restorative?

From Howard Zehr's blog: Catherine Bargen, a long-time practitioner and visionary thinker, raised an important issue that deserves more discussion.  The rest of this entry is in her words, recorded and edited with her permission.

When I learned about restorative justice I felt that it applied to all of life and shouldn’t just be about criminal justice.  I’ve made a career of thinking outside the criminal justice box - for example, restorative justice in schools - and I continue to think the work being done in this field is very important.

Jul 09, 2009 Limitations, Definition, Theory

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