Principles and Concepts

• Conflicts as Property (Nils Christie's 1977 talk played an important role in creating the modern restorative justice movement)
• The Little Book of Restorative Justice (This link is to an edition co-written with Ali Gohar. Like the original, it is an accessible intro)
• Walking toward conflict (Dominic Barter)
• Is there a better way to justice than through punishment? (Lyubansky)
• Danger of a single story (Chimamanda Adichie TED talk)
• Defiance theory (Sherman)
• Reintegrating shaming (summary of Braithwaite's work) | Crime, Shame, and Reintegration (Braithwaite's book)
• The power of vulnerability (Brene Brown TED talk)
• Trauma-responsive Ireland Part 1 | Part 2
• United Nations Basic Principles on the use of Restorative Justice Programs in Criminal Matters
• Collected Quotes (about justice, peace, and conflict)

Manuals and Teaching Resources

• Conflict Tools My own handouts that I have developed over the years
• Circle Keeper's Handbook by Kay Pranis
• Youth-Police Circles Manual (Pranis and Schnell)
• Police-Youth Dialogue Toolkit (from the Center for Court Innovation, U.S. Dept. of Justice)
• Rochester Police-Youth Dialogue Evaluation Report

Bias and Inequality

• Bias: If you're human, you're biased [documentary]
• Building blocks for youth  Examines how media covers youth, race, and crime, including over-representation 
• Curriculum for White Americans: From Ferguson to Charleston A curated collection of links to short essays
• Drug war facts Facts about race and crime
• Economic and social statistics on Black America Charts, graphs, and analyses regarding topics like crime, poverty, and higher education (Frontline)
• Hate map of the United States Compiled and updated by the Southern Poverty Law Center
• Implicit Association Test (IAT) An online test measuring implicit or unconscious bias in different domains, including racial bias.
• Million dollar blocks Interactive map showing how incarceration is highly concentrated in Chicago's individual city blocks
• Race, Racism, and the Law Course web site with info about race and racism in education, environment, affirmative action, and law
• Racial disparities in the war on drugs (Human Rights Watch)
• Racism and the administration of justice (Human Rights Watch)
• State of the science: Implicit bias review, 2016 (Kirwan Institute)
• Without sanctuary Photos, postcards, and video of lynching history in the U.S.

In Schools

• Out of School & Off Track: The Overuse of Suspensions in American Middle & High Schools (2013) executive summary | See full report
• Improving School Climate: Findings From Schools Implementing Restorative Practices (IIRP's collection of school evaluation outcomes) 
• Restorative Justice: A Working Guide For Our Schools (good intro to school-based RJ)
• Restorative Interventions Implementations Tool Kit For Schools (Minnesota manual for implementation and evaluation)
• Discipline with Dignity: Oakland Classrooms Try Healing Instead of Punishment (restorative case-study + big picture vision by Fania Davis)
• What the heck is restorative justice?  (Edutopia)
• Opening up, students transform a vicious circle (New York Times)
  
• Restorative justice in U.S. schools: An updated research review (2019)
• Repairing our schools through restorative justice (Jean Klasovsky TED talk)
• Restorative approaches in schools (video 16:26)
  
• Building a restorative classroom (video 4:09)
  

Responses to Crime

• A different path for confronting sexual assault (Sujatha Baliga, Vox)
• Family Group Conferencing: Implications for crime victims (Mark Umbreit)
• By talking, inmates and victims make things more right (New York Times)
• Can forgiveness play a role in criminal justice? (NY Times Magazine covers an RJ response to a Florida homicide).
• Restorative Justice is not Forgiveness (IIRP founder Ted Wachtel responds to the NY Times article above)
• Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Promising (Sherman et al 1996 report to U.S. Congress)
• Restorative Justice: The Evidence (a 96 page report reviewing RJ outcomes in the context of criminal justice)

Racialized Conflicts

• The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice (this link is a single chapter but the entire book is worth reading)
  
• Restoring racial justice  An introduction to restorative responses to interpersonal and structural racial conflict (Davis, Lyubansky, and Schiff)
• A restorative approach to interpersonal racial conflict  Academic article in Peace Review, written with RC developer Dominic Barter
• Restorative justice for Trayvon Martin  Restorative case example of a racialized conflict following a police fatal shooting in Seattle (Lyubansky)

Restorative Justice Organizations

• National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ) National U.S. organization that promotes restorative justice as a social movement
• Common Justice  NYC-based org that seeks "to advance solutions to violence that transform the lives of those harmed... without relying on incarceration"
• Impact Justice  Oakland-based organization advancing new ideas and solutions for justice reform
• Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking  Established in 1994 by Mark Umbreit, this is the first academic RJ center
• Amplify RJ  Strives to teach restorative justice philosophy, practices, and values through a lens of abolition, anti-racism, and decolonization
• AORTA Cooperative  Aligned with the practices of Black feminism, AORTA facilitates, coaches, consults, and trains in movement spaces.
• Global Youth Justice  Champions juvenile justice diversion programs such as Teen Court, Youth Court, Peer Court, Peer Juries in 48 states and 12 countries
• Institute for Restorative Justice  UTexas at Austin institute that offers services to faculty, staff, and students
• National School Climate Center  Aims to measure and improve school climate
• Northwest Justice Forum  Fosters gathering of RJ practitioners in the Northwest
• Peace of the Circle  Vancouver based
• Restorative Empathy Circles  Bay-area empathy circles organized by Edwin Rutsch
• Restorative Justice Exchange  Restorative programs for prisoners, victims, and families of prisoners
• Restorative Justice for All  UK-based policy and think tank
• Restorative Resources  California-based, since 2001
• Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY) Promotes RJ practices and policies in schools, communities and the juvenile justice system.
• Fix School Discipline  Broader than RJ but RJ is part of its mission
  
• St. Croix Valley Restorative Services  Victim Impact Panels and other RJ services in St Croix Valley
  
• SEEDS Community Resolution Center  Bay area non-profit that provides mediation and RJ services to residents, schools, orgs, and businesses)
• Ways of Council  Circle practices from the Ojai lineage

Restorative Justice Organizations in (and near) Illinois

• Alternatives Works with Chicago Public Schools
• Chicago Freedom School Supports young people to take action for justice in their personal lives and communities
• Circles and Ciphers Hip-hop infused restorative justice organization led by and for young people impacted by violence
• Conflict 180 Champaign-Urbana LLC focusing on conflict and resilience
• Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice Adler University Institute works with community groups, peer institutions, and systems partners to address public safety challenges through restorative justice and related practices
• Just Peace (part of Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation) Promotes restorative justice among youth and families impacted by violence and/or conflict
• Nehemiah Trinity Rising Faith-based org providing skill-building and other RJ-related education (led by Michelle Day)
• Project Nia works to end the incarceration of children and young adults by promoting restorative and transformative justice practices
• Reimagine Justice Illinois Works to challenge the narrative of justice and transform conventional practices through RJ, SEL, and system transformation
• Restorative Justice Community Courts Cook County courts offering restorative option to eligible individuals charged w/ non-violent felonies & misdemeanors.
• Restoration Matters St. Louis-based non-profit focusing primarily on Catholic Schools

RJ-Adjcacent Organizations in (and near) Illinois

• Dispute Resolution Institute Nonprofit org providing mediation training and volunteer mediation services to Champaign and neighboring counties
  
• Education Justice Project Community of incarcerated students, educators, formerly incarcerated individuals, and others who are committed to a more just and humane world. Primarily College in Prison but also engaged with reentry and policy advocacy
• Transforming School Discipline Collaborative A collaborative of organizations working to ensure that Illinois schools are safe and supportive for all students

Illinois Media on Restorative Justice

• City Bureau Nonprofit civil journalism lab in Chicago South Side
• Illinois Public Media Nonprofit public media service of the College of Media at the University of Illinois (link goes to RJ coverage)
• Invisible Institute Nonprofit media org on South Side of Chicago that works to enhance the capacity of citizens to hold public institutions accountable.
• WTTW Chicago public television (link goes to RJ coverage)
  

Illinois RJ Legislation and Policies

• Illinois Juvenile Court Act of 1899  Not about RJ but granted to court paternal and protective role over minors
• Illinois Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1998  Public Act 90-0590: Strove to balance needs of offenders with those of victims. Set up teen courts.
• Redeploy Illinois Public Act 93-0641 (2004) | Revised by Public Act 94-1032 | Further clarified in 2009 by Public Act 95-1050
• Cook County Restorative Justice Community Courts  First established in North Lawndale in 2017, qualified cases are referred to RJ.
• Illinois Restorative Justice & Safer Communities Governor Pritzker's transition report (2019)
• Restorative justice privilege rule  Public Act 102-0100: Provides limited reverse-Miranda protection for RJ participants (effective in 2021)

Podcasts

• A Bit of a Stretch Interviews with ex-prisoners about their time in jail | #4 I met my brother's killer
• Amplified Voices Lifting the voices of people and families impacted by the criminal legal system
• Circles of Connection Stories and reflections from people around Ireland using Restorative Practices in their work and life
• Finding Fred A 10-part series about the life, thinking and work of Fred Rogers and how it can tell us how to get by in today's chaotic world
• Inspiring Radical Empathy We dive into restorative justice and the impact these practices can have on the world
• Justice Delayed Examines the American criminal system and prison industrial complex, guiding toward restorative justice
• Justice in America A podcast for everyone interested in criminal justice reform
  • # 19 Sonya Shah and sexual harm
  • # 20 Mariame Kaba and prison abolition
  • # Sp David Shipley and the open prison model
• Law and Justice Explores issues in law and justice
• Let's Talk About Youth Justice Conversations with researchers and practitioners discussing a youth justice topic
• Making Amends Podcast series that investigates the heavy use of incarceration as a response to crime
• Perspectives on Peace The M. K. Gandhi Institute focuses on nonviolence, RJ, environmental sustainability, & racial justice | # 4 Dominic Barter
• Reckonings An exploration of how we look in the mirror, and grow from what we see
  • #21 A survivor and her perpetrator find justice
  • #23 Restorative Justice for clergy sex abuse
• Reshaping Justice A restorative justice podcast with a focus on "offenders"
• Restitution Radio A podcast about reparations
• Restorative Conversations Innovative practice and groundbreaking research
• Restorative Works! Host Claire de Mézerville López shares stories on how restorative practices are impacting communities and workplaces (IIRP)
• RTE Radio One Janet O'Brien lost her son Luke in a one-punch attack. She speaks about this experience and the RJ process that followed (manslaughter)
• Smart Justice One state's (Arkansas) pursuit of better outcomes in incarceration, foster care, and community
• The Agentic Schools Extraordinary places where children have real power to determine the direction of their education
• The F Word Examines the complex, messy, gripping subject of forgiveness
• The Prison Post Interviews with leaders in the criminal justice reform, restorative justice, and social justice movements
• The Restorative Lens Insights, practices, and perspectives from the RJ community
• The RJ Chronicles Chronicles the experiences of people who have engaged in restorative justice practices
• This Restorative Justice Life Host David Ryan Barcega Castro-Harris in conversation with RJ practitioners and other justice seekers
• Transform Justice Expert insights into contemporary issues in criminal justice policy (UK)
  • #8  What do crime victims want?
  • #10 Hate crime
  • #22 Domestic violence
• Whatchu Know About RJ Interviews and storytelling from RJ practitioners highlighting the interdisciplinary spectrum of facilitation and theory

Documentaries and Films

• A Better Man “A Better Man documents a personal experiment for me and my abusive ex-partner — a step towards understanding and accountability. By getting closer to the truth of what survivors experience, and of why men choose to use violence, we can help stop the abuse."– Attiya Khan, Co-Director. [Read review].

• Accounting for Violence Director of Common Justice, Danielle Sered, speaks about the limitations and problems associated with incarceration and how restorative justice provides a viable alternative. Sered's talk begins at the 11:05 mark.

• As We Forgive (53:00) Could you forgive a person who murdered your family? This is the question faced by the subjects of As We Forgive, a documentary about Rosaria and Chantal—two Rwandan women coming face-to-face with the men who slaughtered their families during the 1994 genocide.

• Beyond Forgiving Ginn Fourie and Letlapa Mphalele form an unlikely pair: a black atheist man and a white Christian woman. One has suffered directly from actions of the other, but both have been victims - and risen beyond their pain.

• Beyond Punishment Beyond Punishment challenges our ideas of guilt and punishment by examining the need for forgiveness and the inner conflict this wish brings about.

• Burning Bridges (35:00). When Mood's Bridge, a historic covered bridge in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is intentionally burned down by six young men who plead guilty, a restorative conference is organized to deal with the aftermath as they await sentencing.

• Chasing Smoke (48:48).  A film about RJ in a school community in Austin, TX.

• Circles [rent $3.99: 81:33]. A dedicated high school counselor in Oakland (Eric Butler) swaps zero tolerance for restorative justice - but the time, energy and emotion he pours into supporting his at-risk students creates a deep rift in his relationship with his own teen-aged son.

• Circle Up (68:43). After the brutal slaying of her teenage son, Janet Connors reaches out to her son's killer to offer a chance for forgiveness. They team up with a group of mothers of murdered children to help young people in their community break the chain of violence and revenge. 2017.

• Coming Face to Face with Your Attacker [42:28]. Oprah Winfrey 2004 RJ episode.

• Coming Home [rent $3.99]. Coming Home is a documentary film focused on five people returning back to their Vermont communities from prison. The film focuses on the innovative COSA program (Circle of Support and Accountability) that helps reintegrate folks back into their daily lives.

• Concrete, Steel & Paint (55:00) Concrete, Steel & Paint is a 2009 film that tells the story of a collaborative mural project in Philadelphia, PA, that fostered dialogue between men in prison and victims of crime.

• Encounter Point (85:00). A documentary that focuses on Palestinian and Israeli citizens directly impacted by the conflict and their responses to it. The film's protagonists, true civic leaders, endure suicide bombings and checkpoints to meet with militants on both sides

• Facing the Enemy [Free stream: 59:00]. The daughter of a victim of the 1984 Brighton bombing in England seeks out the IRA bomber after he’s released from prison and they form an unusual friendship.

• Fight for Justice: David & Me Not explicitly about restorative justice, David & Me is the story of an unlikely friendship and a dedicated group's struggle to exonerate David, a man wrongfully convicted of murder at age 16 who has been incarcerated for over 20 years.

• Five Dangerous Things Every School Should Do (19:23). Though not specifically about restorative justice, Gever Tulley's 5 ideas are all congruent with RJ principles.

• Healing from Hate: Battle for the Soul of a Nation Healing from Hate examines the root causes of hate group activity through the bold work of those battling intolerance on the front lines, including Life After Hate, an organization founded by former Skinheads and neo-Nazis, now engaged in transforming attitudes of intolerance. Documenting a stunning era of hatred in America, Healing from Hate follows these reformers in their work to de-radicalize White Nationalists, and heal communities torn apart by racism.

• Healing Justice Healing Justice explores the causes and consequences of the current North American justice system and its effect on marginalized communities, addressing the school-to-prison pipeline, the need for comprehensive criminal justice reform, and the importance of healing and restorative practices.

• Hollow Water [Free Stream: 48:31]. The tiny Ojibway community of Hollow Water uses community healing and sentencing circles to heal offenders of sexual abuse and their victims.

• How to Implement The Restorative Justice Programme [Free stream: 11:15]

• Katy Hutchison TEDx (18:20). After the murder of her husband, Katy Hutchison seeks to establish a relationship with the young man who killed him.

• Long Night's Journey Into Day (94:00). Long Night's Journey Into Day follows several TRC cases over a two-year period. The stories in the film underscore the universal themes of conflict, forgiveness, and renewal.

• Meeting with a Killer (45:00). A Victim-Offender Mediation (VOM) with the mother and daughter of a woman who was raped and murdered and the person responsible for these crimes.

• Open Wounds [rent: $3.99]. Nate Allen, an African American Navy veteran in Georgetown, SC was murdered in 1953 at the "hands of racism." Decades later his grandson, Phil Allen Jr sets out tell his story and the story of the resulting inter-generational trauma that characterized his relationship with his own father.

• Our Story: Restorative Practices at the Alliance School and in Our Lives (25:20). Students at the Alliance School, a public charter school that opened in 2005 with a mission of reducing bullying, have an opportunity to share their Circle practice with adults in the community.

• Paper Tigers [free with ads or rent $3.99: 102 min]. Follows a year in the life of an alternative high school that has radically changed its approach to disciplining its students.

• Raamro Aakha Ma (In the Eyes of the Good) [Free Stream]. Former Maoist combatants, conflict victims, and government officials engage in a restorative dialogue, following the aftermath of the 10-year armed conflict in Nepal.

• Restorative Justice: Inspiring the Future of a Just Society for All [Free stream: 16:16]. Interviews from EFRJ 2014 Conference in Belfast (Northern Ireland).

• Restorative Re-Entry Circle Filmed at Bunche High School, this video combines footage from the circle with interviews of the re-entering student and the circle facilitator.

• Risking Light A documentary on the Gacaca courts established after the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Powerful stories of three people who had the courage to step out of the haunting, tragic darkness of the past, risking everything to reach the light of their own compassion. See also My Neighbor, My Killer.

• Sorry I Shot You: Story of a Changed Man [free stream: 29:20]. Dean Stanbury shot and wounded a police officer in East London. After serving 8 years, he now wants to express his remorse and regret.

• Step Inside the Circle [Free stream]. A safe space to discuss their childhood trauma provides a group of incarcerated men the opportunity to see the physical, social, and emotional impact of their Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

• Tinker Bell: An Example of Restorative Justice [5:25] Sujatha Baliga tells the story of a young man who stole a car and the restorative meeting that followed.

• Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North Producer/Director Katrina Browne tells the story of her forefathers, the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history and follows 10 descendants as they retrace the steps of the Triangle Trade and confront the thorny topic of how to think about and contribute to repair. [Mikhail's review].

• The Meeting [Rent $5.99, 95 minutes]. A dramatized, realistic retelling of a victim-offender mediation in Ireland. Ailbhe Griffith (who plays herself) is the survivor of a harrowing sexual assault and elects to meet her offender, Martin Swann (Terry O’Neill), nine years after the attack.

• The Painter and the Thief [Rent, 102:00]. A documentary about an artist whose search for her stolen paintings leads her to the thief...and a friendship.

• The Red Devil Dog Lease [Free stream: 38:24]. Mediation of a landlord/tenant dispute. Part of the University of Missouri School of Law's Dispute Resolution and Lawyers Videotape Series.

• The Worst Thing Kathleen Pequeño struggles to heal and find some sense of peace after her brother, a young U.S. soldier stationed in Germany, is killed in 1985 by members of the Red Army Faction (RAF) [Mikhail's review].

• We Came to Heal [Free stream: 81:14]. We Came to Heal” follows H.O.L.L.A!’s Healing Justice Movement - over a three years period capturing Healing Justice circles, the Healing Justice Summits and H.O.L.L.A!’ s human healing-centered praxis led by The Youth Organizing Collective (Y.O.C).

• Words That Liberate [Free Stream]. Incarcerated men in Portland and Seattle prisons discover Nonviolent Communication and reconnect with their humanity.

• Worlds Apart (5:22). "Unscripted and filmed under strict documentary conditions, this Heineken beer ad was designed as a real-life social experiment in which two complete strangers, divided by their beliefs, meet for the first time" under conditions that make dialogue not only possible but likely.

Video Shorts

• A Victim's Guide to Restorative Justice (3:30). Animated yarn film aimed at victims who are considering restorative justice but have questions.  U.K.
• Colorado High School Replaces Punishment with Talking Circles (7:30). PBS story about Hinkley H.S. where student conflict is resolved through dialogue
• I Met the Man Who Abused Me As a Child (6:17). 2015 BBC News interview with Laura Coel who chose to meet and forgive her former step-father.
• I understand (3:31) Clip from Two and a Half Men (sitcom)
  
• Moving On (1:52). Lucy, the victim of a mugging, endlessly replays events in her mind until she is able to meet the mugger in an RJ conference. U.K.
• One Minute (4:04) Hiphop song about some of the challenges young people face in schools and the benefits of restorative responses
• Restorative Justice: Everything You Need to Know (4:20). Animation showing how criminal justice system creates distance b/w victim and offender. U.K.
• Reconciliation (6:58). This video examines Restorative Justice in the context of a First Nation healing circle with Jamie.
• Restorative Justice in Scotland (4:36). Animated film (in style of RSA animate) illustrating the benefits of restorative justice.
• Under the Surface (3:55). An empathy film that lets us see into the private lives of the students and adults in a school.
• Using dialogue circles to support classroom management (4:04). At Glenview Elementary, dialogue circles help build collaboration and respect.
• What is Restorative Justice? Giving Victims a Voice (3:35). Animated overview of restorative justice. U.K. Ministry of Justice.
• Why Do We Need Restorative Justice (3:00). Animated overview, narrated by Danielle Sered, Common Justice.

Academic Masters Programs (incomplete list)

• Eastern Mennonite University Developed by Howard Zehr, EMU has a variety of RJ certificates and degrees
• International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) | Safer Saner Schools (IIRP Training & Consulting)
• University of San Diego Offers both professional certificates and graduate credit
• Vermont Law and Graduate School Offers professional certificates, Masters in Restorative Justice (MARJ) and joint law and MARJ degree

Academic Certificate Programs (Illinois only)

• Catholic Theological Union Theological program
  
• Chicago State University INACCORD conflict resolution model(appears identical to Univ of Illinois, Springfield)
• Governors State University
• Loyola University of Chicago Theological program
  
• North Park Theological Seminary Theological program
• University of Illinois, Springfield INACCORD conflict resolution model (appears identical to Chicago State)

Links to journals with a focus on restorative justice, conflict resolution, and peace studies (impact factor).

• Cambridge Journal of Education (2.99) Focus on all aspects of education, international readership, 8000 words
• Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal (2.161) All methods welcome. Focus on current issues in social work, including RJ
• Cooperation and Conflict (2.316) International conflict focus, 8000 words
• Conflict Resolution Quarterly (.9) Theory, research & practice in conflict management, dispute resolution (reviews 6000, Research 8500)
• Contemporary Justice Review (.54) Restorative Justice a primary focus, 15,000 words
• Intern. Journal of Conflict Management (2.457) Empirical, theory, reviews on work, social & relational conflict, ADR, peace, 8000-12000
• International Journal of Restorative Justice (?) Anything with Restorative Justice focus, 6000-10000 words
  
• Internet Journal of Restorative Justice (.15) International restorative justice focus, 5000-8000 words
• Journal of Aggression Conflict & Peace Research (1.02). All forms of aggression, conflict & peace, prefer translation into practice, 5000-6000
  
• Journal of Conflict Resolution (3.491) International conflict focus
  
• Journal of Interpersonal Violence (6.144) Focus on violent crime
• Journal of Peace Education (.469) Links theory and research to education practice, 5000-9000 words
  
• Journal of Peace Research (2.419) Focus on global conflict and its causes
• Middle School Journal (.63) Short essays, no research reports, 10-20 ds pages
• Peace & Conflict: Journal of Peace Psych (1.17) Regular (8000), brief (1500) and book reviews on interpersonal & community conflict
  
• Peace Review (.167) 2500-3500 word essays (not research reports) for a transnational readership
• Psychology of Violence (4.147) Multidisciplinary focus on the violence causes, prevention, and interventions
  
• Small Group Research (1.163) Focus on the psychology, communication, and organization of small groups
• Youth and Society (2.13) Interdisciplinary journal focusing on ages 10-24, 7000 words