David Hooker on Race, Implicit Bias & Restorative Practice
Scholar, Professor, Attorney and cross-practice expert in a wide range of conflict-related fields, David Hooker currently serves as Associate Professor of the Practice of Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding at the Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame.
RJ on The Rise Host Molly Rowan Leach interviews Stephanie Lepp of Reckonings, a powerful podcast exploring how we change our hearts and minds. Molly and Stephanie's conversation introduces Reckonings episode #21, which illuminates the story of two college students, sexual harm and misconduct, and their restorative justice process. Thank you to Stephanie, and to David Karp from Skidmore College's PRISM Program, for partnering with us to offer this powerful podcast to you. Part 1 is the mini-interview, and Part 2 is the original episode.
Debby Irving is a racial justice educator, author, and public speaker. A community organizer and classroom teacher for 25 years, Debby Irving grappled with racial injustice without understanding racism as a systemic issue or her own whiteness as an obstacle to it.
We must face violent crime honestly and courageously if we are ever to end mass incarceration and provide survivors what they truly want and need to heal.
In this piece that we highly recommend, Ms. Alexander, a friend and former guest of Restorative Justice on The Rise, speaks to the viability of RJ in violent crime cases, which is a topic not often confronted in this growing field, for many obvious reasons. We love this article and hope you'll surf to the NYT link here to read in full.
If you are looking to find an active and engaging online community, you might appreciate as we do the Restorative Circles Facebook group conversation page. If you are new to the global work of RC and Dominic Barter, you might also appreciate visiting the website
In addition, Restorative Justice on The Rise has had multiple opportunities to dialogue with and interview Dominic Barter and some of his colleagues--find those podcasts in our Archives (free to download and also available at iTunes)
Restorative justice practices include exploring the power of self regulation and how to practice regulation specific to our needs in order to better navigate conflict when it arises. The Institute of HeartMath has researched coherence and how the heart is in fact our "second brain", comprising of neurons and characteristics similar to our more northern organ often considered to be the primary director of our manifest actions and choices. IHM's research shows that our heart, and its torroidal field, impact our ability to increase capacity to navigate conflict, amplify climates of peace, and to gain a deeper understanding of the science-based studies in this significant field that has the potential to shift and increase our ability to match restorative values with our actual practices.
This is a repost from HeartMath's website. For the full post and to find out more please surf to the original page here.
For your networks: Strengthening the Criminal Justice System for Victims Survey
The Strengthening the Criminal Justice System for Victims Survey is an opportunity for victims/survivors to tell us their views, what works and what doesn’t, and how it can be improved. We've been asked to share the link to the survey widely so that more victims' voices can be heard.
Research shows restorative practices improves school climate, reduces student suspensions and discipline disparities
Written by Laura Mirsky
In one of the first rigorous, large-scale evaluations of restorative practices in a large urban school district, researchers from RAND Corporation found that restorative practices improved school climate, reduced student suspensions and decreased discipline disparities in Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS).
The randomized controlled trial compared 22 PPS K-12 schools that adopted restorative practices with 22 similar schools that did not, between June 2015 and June 2017.
PPS contracted with the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) Graduate School SaferSanerSchoolsTM program to implement the practices, supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice. PPS is now implementing restorative practices in all district schools.
One of the most striking differences between a coercive response to misconduct, and a restorative response has to do with voice. A coercive response suppresses voice. A restorative response invites it.
In a coercive response there are 3 voices: the explicit code or implicit norm, the person interpreting the code/norm and determining a sanction, and the person who acted “out of the norm.”
In this scenario the code is an unspoken voice, ever present, and therefore never questioned. The person in charge uses the account of the “offender”, extracts the necessary information from him/her to determine how the code or norm was transgressed, and applies a sanction/punishment (determined by the code). The account offered by the person who transgressed is used against him/her.
Both the code and the person in charge of interpreting the code are reauthorized. This is how a hierarchy of power is continually re-established. It’s a vertical and self-substantiating system of power-over governance, conflict and behavior control. The code is at the top; the interpreter in the middle; the person who acted out of the norm at the bottom.[1] The interpreter’s role avoids question.
To provide connection, advocacy, education and inspired action as a public service to individuals and communities seeking to proactively improve relationships and structures within their spheres and our world.
Restorative Justice on The Rise is an international live dialogue via Webcast and Telecouncil platform, held weekly, reaching an international constituency of a wide spectrum of invididuals, organizations, professionals, academics, practitioners, and beyond.
In one of the first rigorous, large-scale evaluations of restorative practices in a large urban school district, researchers from RAND Corporation found that restorative practices improved school climate, reduced student suspensions and decreased discipline disparities in Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS).