Programme Policy Manuals

Listing to resource documents for developing individual programmes in settings such as schools and the criminal justice system.

Restorative justice in higher education: A compilation of formats and best practices

from the guide by Justine Darling: ....There are many restorative tools and processes that can be used in the university setting. This guide is specific to Judicial and Residential Life processes within Institutions of Higher Education. Addressed below are the five most common methods of implementation that are used at the 9 colleges and universities in this study. The goal of all 5 Restorative Processes is for the respondent to acknowledge responsibility, identify harm and obligations, and develop a restorative plan agreed upon by the person responsible and impacted parties. Language used in Restorative Judicial Processes is different than the language used in Traditional Judicial Processes so that stigmatization is less likely to occur.

RJ and autism

Coincidentally that came up in a workshop I was doing on Monday on RP. My answer had a few components (after I thought deeply) For [...]

RJ and autism

As it is many years since my RJ training and use of it, I can't provide an answer on potential modifications off the top of [...]

RJ and Autism

Nigel, Thank you for your great explanation of the issues involved in working with someone with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. I understand the issues about not [...]

Incompatability of RJ with autism

People with Autistic Spectrum Disorders score very low on tests of empathy quotients. Due to problems with 'Theory of Mind' and weak 'Central Coherence' they [...]

Autism and RJ

Nigel, Thank you for your note. I'm not aware of research in this area. Would you mind elaborating on why RJ and Autistic Spectrum Disorders [...]

Incompatability of RJ with autism

Nowhere in your website or in any literature about RJ is there mention of the fact that it cannot be used with persons with an [...]

good stuff!

Thank you Josh Bacon! This is not only a common sense approach that you have helped spread, but also a wonderful way to educate students/participants [...]

Just care: Restorative justice approaches to working with children in public care.

by Martin Wright Just care: Restorative justice approaches to working with children in public care. London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2009. 224pp. ISBN 978 1 84310 981 5 More and more schools are turning to restorative methods,` often helped by Belinda Hopkins’s previous book Just schools. Now she has applied the same principles to meeting the needs of the troubled and troublesome children who are looked after in state institutions. The ethos is similar, and the approach is spelt out clearly for those who do not have previous knowledge of it, with numerous diagrams and a good index. The examples are chosen to reflect the needs of the staff in children’s homes; others such as youth workers and foster parents could also find this book helpful.

Best Practice Guidance for Restorative Justice Practitioners and their Case Supervisors and Line Managers (Scotland)

from the Introduction: The primary aim of restorative justice is to address or repair the harm caused by an incident or offence. The processes used to achieve this objective can intersect with formal systems or institutions in a number of ways. But it is worth remembering that restorative justice processes can arise naturally and (more or less) spontaneously, without the need for third-party intervention. Expressions of remorse, making amends, healing and reconciliation happen all the time: relationships, families, organisations and society would quickly break down if this were not the case. There are cases, however, where the incident or offence is so serious or complex that it comes to the attention of someone in authority: for example, a parent, teacher, supervisor, manager, police officer, children's reporter, procurator fiscal, sheriff, and so on. The restorative justice ideal is that, whatever else needs to happen, the authority in question gives consideration to what can be done to address or repair the harm that has been caused.

Twilight for campus legal codes? Talking circles aid the aftermath of destructively drunk students and more.

from Bonnie Price Lofton's article in The Mennonite: After more than a decade of ushering misbehaving students at James Madison University (JMU), Harrisonburg, Va., through hearings, sanctions and other legalistic steps, Josh Bacon wanted a change. "I went into educational leadership and student affairs because I cared about young adults and their futures," he says. "But that’s not how they perceived me—they saw me as the 'bad guy,' somebody there to enforce the university's rules, somebody who wasn’t on their side.' Seeking a fresh approach, Bacon signed up for a restorative justice course at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, taught by an internationally recognized pioneer in the restorative justice field, Howard Zehr.

Restorative Justice in Schools

Please consider "Discipline That Restores" as another resource and testimony to RJ working in schools. Ron and Roxanne Claasson offer a proven approach to shaping [...]

Implementing restorative justice: A guide for schools

Recently, the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority released the guide Implementing Restorative Justice: A guide for Schools as part of a series of resources created to help with the statewide implementation of restorative justice for working with young offenders.

I love my job!

from Giles Charle's post on Restorative Justice at West Oakland Middle School: I am very happy with my job, even though I don't make very much money and I have no idea if it, or anything like it will exist next year. I do believe that Restorative Justice provides some crucial answers for us as we move towards our true potential as peaceful cooperative beings. With that said today was rough, I had more kids in lunch detention/thinkery then I new what to do with. Thanks to Mr. Brooks the co-principle of West Oakland Middle School (WOMS) we were able to sort out the students who understood what they did and were ready to take responsibility and head back to class from the kids who needed a little bit more reflection time before they would be ready.

Black male conundrum

From Sarah Karp's article in Catalyst Chicago: In Chicago’s public schools, African-American males are suspended and expelled at a higher rate than any other student group. Yet educators are working to raise black male graduation rates, creating a classic case of policy and practice at odds.

Improving School Climate: Findings from Schools Implementing Restorative Practices

From the International Institute for Restorative Practices e-Forum: The International Institute for Restorative Practices has compiled a 36-page booklet of findings from schools in the United States, England and Canada that are implementing restorative practices.

Hastie, Keith. Establishing and sustaining a restorative justice programme.

When considering the establishment of a Restorative Justice Service, we first need to ask ourselves - are the principles that underpin restorative justice compatible with the current political climate? In Scotland, for example, the values of the Lord Advocate (a political appointee) and subsequent guidance in the book of regulations may not be favourable to a restorative justice approach. Should the government appoint a Lord Advocate who favours restorative justice, individual Procurators Fiscal may interpret the book of regulations according to their own values. In the first instance, Procurators Fiscal determine whether or not prosecution is in the public interest. In some programmes based on a ‘deferred prosecution’ model of restorative justice, the Procurator Fiscal is the master of the instance until all agreements are fulfilled. That is, the outcome to a victim/offender mediation may not be acceptable to the Fiscal, who may proceed to prosecution. Indeed the Fiscal in one area, in what could be considered to be an attempt to address possible power imbalances, has decreed that “unreasonable demands in negotiation or unreasonable withdrawal from the service will lead to a review of the need to prosecute�?. Secondly, government appointed prosecutors are aware of the politically damaging effects of a lack of public confidence in the justice system. (excerpt)

Blood, Peta and Thorsborne, Margaret. The Challenge of Culture Change: Embedding Restorative Practice in Schools

This paper seeks to broaden the perspectives of senior and middle management and restorative practitioners around what restorative practice in schools can look like; and to present some practical guidelines which represent a strategic approach to the implementation of restorative practices, so that they "stick" -- that is, become sustainable. It represents a work in progress and the authors encourage readers to engage with them in ongoing dialogue about the issues (we don't know all the answers yet!) and share with us their butterfly (successes) and bullfrog (failures) stories, in meeting the challenges of developing a restorative culture within schools (Zehr, 2003). It should be noted that there is an overwhelming body of literature (Hargreaves, 1997, Fullan, 2000 etc) dealing with school reform, effective teaching, classroom and behaviour management practice and that this paper focuses on the implementation of restorative practice in schools. (excerpt)

Toronto Family Group Conferencing Project. Toronto Family Group Conferencing Project: Manual

This manual was developed by the Toronto Family Group Conferencing Project. It covers the background of the project, practice issues, structural issues, and training.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Program Guidance Manual 2007.

This manual, designed as the primary reference for State and local program managers, provides guidance to assist States in applying for, receiving, obligating, and expending the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants (JABG) funds. This manual offers guidelines and reference for State and local program managers for applying for JABG funding and explains eligibility, State allocation of funds, distribution of funds, and waivers. Other detailed guidelines include: application process, requirements of State recipients and local subgrantees, definitions of terms, and other available resources. The JABG Program provides State and local governments with funds to develop programs which prevent and control delinquency while strengthening their juvenile justice systems. In implementing the program, OJJDP seeks to reduce juvenile offending through both offender-focused and system-focused activities that promote accountability. The premise of the program is that both the juvenile offender and the juvenile justice system be held accountable. For the juvenile offender, accountability means holding offenders responsible for their delinquent behavior through the imposition of sanctions or other individualized consequences, such as restitution, community service, or victim offender mediation. Juvenile accountability is best achieved through a system of graduated sanctions imposed according to the nature and severity of the offense, moving from limited interventions to more restrictive actions if the offender continues delinquent activities. For the juvenile justice system, strengthening the system requires an increased capacity to develop youth competence, to efficiently track juveniles through the system, and to provide enhanced options such as restitution, community service, victim-offender mediation, and other restorative justice sanctions that reinforce the mutual obligations of an accountability based juvenile justice system. Abstract courtesy of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, www.ncjrs.gov.