Restorative Circles (RC)
Article Archive
Published
Articles about Restorative Circles by Elaine and Mikhail
Pop Culture Anthologies (newer content at top)
Media Coverage and Blogs (newer content at top)
- New Study Reveals Six Benefits of School Restorative
Justice (Lyubansky, 2016, PT)
- Students’ intentions were good; driver in difficult
situation (featured subjects)
- The
Fight Room (Shpungin & Barter, 2012, Tikkun)
- The Restorative Revolution: It’s Coming (Shpungin,
2011, Psych Today)
- The Most Important Thing to Know About Conflict
(Shpungin, 2010, Psych. Today)
- Our
Justice System Requires Us To Punish Wrongdoers. What If There Were a
Better Way? (Lyubansky, 2010, Psych Today)
Restorative Circle content by other
writers
Online Presence
Academic Articles/Chapters
- Dzur, A. (2017). Conversations
on restorative justice: A talk with Dominic Barter. Restorative
Justice: An International Journal, 5(1), 116-132. [Note: Article is
behind a paywall].
- Achutti, D., & Pallamolla, R. (2012). Restorative justice in
juvenile courts in Brazil: a brief review of Porto Alegre and São
Caetano pilot projects. Universitas Psychologica, 11(4),
1093-1104.
- NESTA
Report on Radical Efficiency (2010). For RC coverage, including
evaluation data from Brazil, see pages 1-4, 8, 19 and 41-43
Theses and Doctoral Dissertations
- Becker, M. (2017). Becker, M. (2018). Restorative circles and
gender expression in three North American middle school environments
(Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Full
text.
- Ortega, L. (2014). Examining restorative circles in a school
setting: towards an understanding of participant experiences and
perceptions (Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign). Full
text.
- Vaughn, N.B. (2015). Magic in the circle: A process oriented
inquiry into Restorative Circles (Doctoral Dissertation,
University of West Georgia).
- Larsson, B. (2014). Life pathways and narratives of young women
who have offended and participated in restorative justice
(Doctoral dissertation, University of East Anglia). Full
text. Becker, M. (2018). Restorative circles and gender
expression in three North American middle school environments
(Doctoral dissertation). Becker, M. (2017).
Workshop Notes
Media Coverage and Blogs (newer content at top)
- A Restorative Response to MH17 (C. Eisenstein,
2014)
- Restorative Justice Isn’t a Plug and Play Option
(J. Lash, 2014, Juvenile Justice Info. Exchange)
- Conflict is a Good Thing (M. Garmon, 2013, Lake
Chalice)
- From Punitive to Restorative Justice (M. Rowan
Leach, 2013. Kosmos: Journal for Global Transformation)
- Rochester’s
Underground Justice System (C. Fien, 2012, Rochester City
Newspaper)
- Restorative Circles and Heart of Justice (J. Lash,
2012, Juvenile Justice Info Exchange)
- Walking
Toward Conflict (D. Barter, 2012, for fee in Tikkun Magazine)
- A
Restorative Circle in the Wake of a Police Shooting (A. Brenneke,
2012, Tikkun)
- Violence Begets More Violence (D. Champagne, 2010,
The Daily Record)
- The Art of Sharing Power and Responsibility to Create
Community (J. Malkin, 2010, Good Times)
- Restorative Circles: Justice Without Classism
(Koch-Gonzalez, 2010, Classism Exposed)
- Towards Peace and Justice in Brazil: Dominic Barter
and Restorative Circles (J, Wachtel, 2009, IIRP)
- 21st Century Justice at a Local Brazilian School
(B. Tonasse, 2009, Comunidad Segura)
Audio and Video
RJ EVIDENCE in CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM
Restorative Justice: The Evidence (Sherman
& Strang, 2007; Smith Institute Report)
- 92 pages; one page executive summary
included
- Reviews evidence for RJ in criminal cases in UK and other countries
- “A review of research on restorative justice (RJ) in the UK and abroad
shows that across 36 direct comparisons to conventional criminal justice
(CJ), RJ has, in at least two tests each:
- substantially reduced repeat offending for some offenders, but not
all
- doubled (or more) the offences brought to justice as diversion
from CJ
- reduced crime victims’ post-traumatic stress symptoms and related
costs
- provided both victims and offenders with more satisfaction with
justice than CJ
- reduced crime victims’ desire for violent revenge against their
offenders
- reduced the costs of criminal justice, when used as diversion from
CJ
- reduced recidivism more than prison (adults) or as well as prison
(youths).
- The evidence on RJ is far more extensive, and positive, than it has
been for many other policies that have been rolled out nationally.”
RJ EVIDENCE IN SCHOOLS
Restoring
Racial Justice (Davis, Lyubansky, & Schiff,
2017; Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences)
- 15 pages
- Reviews evidence for racial bias in criminal justice and school
discipline
- Suggests model for “racially just restorative justice practitioners”
- Note: Fania Davis is founder and director of Restorative Justice for
Oakland Youth (RJOY) – one of the longest running RJ programs in the
U.S.
Outcomes Of A Restorative
Circle Program In A High School Setting (Ortega,
Lyubansky, Nettles & Espelage, 2016; Psychology of Violence)
- 9 pages
- Qualitative interviews with 35 students and 25 staff in high school
which implemented a modified version of Dominic Barter’s Restorative Circles process
- “…Both negative and positive outcomes emerged from the interview
data. For negative outcomes, frustration and disappointment
were key themes. For positive outcomes, ownership of the
process, interrupting the school to prison pipeline, improved
relationships, prevention of destructive ways of engaging conflict,
meaningful dialogue, and academic and social achievements were
key themes.”
The
Promise of Restorative Practices to Transform Teacher Student
Relationships and Achieve Equity in School Discipline (Gregory,
Clawson, Davis & Gerewitz, 2016; Journal of Education and
Psychological Evaluation)
- 23 pages
- Results from 412 high school students surveys across 29 schools that
use restorative practices (RP)
- Diverse students in high-fidelity RP classrooms reported better
relationships with teachers, perceived teachers as more respectful, and
perceived teachers as using fewer exclusionary disciplinary
practices
Out of Schools and Off
Track: The Overuse of Suspensions in American Middle Schools and High
Schools (Losen & Martinez, 2013; UCLA Civil
Rights Project Report)
- 100+ pages; 5 page executive summary included
- reviews evidence for how suspensions negatively affect both
suspended AND non-suspended students
- recommends RJ but does not review RJ outcomes
Restorative
Justice and Its Effects on (Racially Disparate) Punitive School
Discipline (Simson, 2012; UCLA School of
Law: 7th Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies Paper)
- 50 pages
- Reviews economic and academic costs of zero tolerance and out of
school suspensions that began in the 1980s and 1990s
- Reviews data on racial disproportionality in school discipline above
and beyond socio-economic status and rates of “misbehavior”
- Reviews RJ as possible response to racially disproportionate
discipline practices
- Shows significant positive results of large study of 143 middle and
high schools using RJ vs. punitive discipline – in ability to
reduce suspensions AND racial disparity in discipline practices
Professor
Thalia Gonzalez’s page of research on RJ and school
- Gonzalez is a nationally recognized expert in the field of
school-based restorative justice, disproportionality, the
school-to-prison pipeline, and restorative practices
- This link leads to 11 scholarly papers as of April 2017
RJ AND BULLYING
Integrating Bullying
Prevention and Restorative Practices in Schools: Considerations for
Practitioners and Policymakers (Molnar-Maine, 2014;
Center for Safe Schools Brief)
- 9 pages
- From May 2012 to May 2014, the Center for Safe Schools convened the
Bullying Prevention (BP) and Restorative Practices (RP) Workgroup, which
included educators, mental health practitioners, experts in BP and
experts in RP.
- This brief describes:
- Components of effective BP and RP in schools
- Compatibilities between RP and the OBPP
- Elements of effective and ineffective BP and RP integration
Restorative Justice and
Bullying: A Missing Solution in the Anti-Bullying Laws (Duncan,
2011; University of Louisville Law School: Legal Studies Research Paper
Series)
- 32 pages
- “… research confirms that ‘conventional discipline’ such as
detention and suspension is ineffective and exacerbates the [bullying]
problem… The bullies feel justified in retaliating against the school
and also at the child they were initially bullying, and the bullying
cycle continues.”
- “Not many of the laws strive to help the victim and engage the school
community in discussing the incident. Merely punishing the bully does
little to heal the unhealthy atmosphere that exists for other members of
the school community. Restorative justice helps change behavior,
creating a healthier environment for all members of a community.”
Restorative Justice and
School Violence: Building Theory and Practice (Morrison,
2001; Paper presented at the International Conference on Violence in
Schools and Public Policies)
- 14 pages
- Reviews definitions and theories of bullying
- Reviews evidence (mostly from Australia and New Zealand) for how RJ is
an effective approach to bullying which combines “compassion” and
“accountability” in the response
- “…Restorative justice is about building communities of care around
individuals while not condoning harmful behavior, in other words holding
individuals accountable for their actions.”