Restorative justice is about more than just reducing suspensions

We’ve all heard the saying “An eye for an eye,” when discussing justice, however, the inclusion of the second half of the saying is necessary: “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”

In the article “Restorative justice is about more than just reducing suspensions” by Daisy Yuhas, the restorative justice movement is discussed as well as its various benefits. Focusing on the administrative response that followed a high school student’s outburst in class, we are given a closer look at how a “healing circle” with the main student, teacher, and anyone else who felt they were affected, resulted in a positive outcome.

Restorative justice is an approach to discipline that replaces punishment with repairing harm. It is becoming more and more popular as an approach in many schools across the nation. The main point of a healing/restorative circle is to discuss what happened calmly and by listening to all sides of the store, including the “perpetrator” and not just the “victim.” Why the incident occurred is looked into by letting everyone discuss their thoughts and feelings and then additional steps to remedy the issue are taken. Restorative justice is far more beneficial than punitive justice because it creates a community and allows for healing and moving on, while its counterpart only reprimands and creates more of a divide.

Although typically used in a criminal justice system, the concept can be applied everywhere because it focuses on three main key points: relationship-building, repairing harm, and creating safe and healthy environments. In the United States, many juvenile detention centers have been considering restorative justice to allow the youth to have the opportunity to grow and learn from their actions, which has significantly lowered recidivism rates in comparison to punitive justice programs.

This article and the entire concept of restorative justice is extremely relevant to MAPS because it highlights the positive impact that this movement and instruction style can have on students and considering that we work with students in middle school and high school, it is extremely beneficial to understand what kinds of methods are most helpful to these students. Having a restorative approach, especially with children who already are on edge due to their environment or have additional concerns/issues from home, can be ideal because it facilitates conversations and creates a strong relationship between the students and everyone else in the classroom and schools, instead of having their school just be someplace they go every day and their peers simply people they see every day. It instead fosters a positive relationship and creates an environment in which the students feel heard and respected which also allows them to be open and free, serving as a safe space. As mentors for young students from typically under-served communities, we have to keep in mind that they may have additional stressors and responsibilities on them and incorporate whatever educational and overall well-being ideas that we can to ensure that we are providing them with the most support that we can offer.

This reflection was written by Hafsah Khan and Ameen Zayed, both a part of the Spring 2020 Internship class. “Restorative justice is about more than just reducing suspensions” by Daisy Yuhas is linked below!

https://hechingerreport.org/restorative-justice-is-about.../