1 Building Positive Relationships Through Restorative Justice Kristen Woodward Conflict Resolution Specialist Fairfax County Public Schools Student Safety and Wellness Office Joan Packer Restorative Practitioner and Trainer

2 Objectives Understand the core principles of Restorative Practices. Understand restorative philosophies, practice skill sets and strategies to build, support and repair relationships. Understand how to integrate Restorative Practices with PBA framework

3 Good relationships are the basis for learning. Anything that affects relationships, like inappropriate behavior, impacts learning. Challenging inappropriate behavior needs to be experienced as an opportunity for learning. -- Bruce Schenk, Director of the International Institute for Restorative Practices in Canada

4 Is what we do opening up our students to learning or is it shutting them down?

5 If a child can’t read, we teach him to read. If a child can’t do math problems, we teach him how to do math problems. If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we punish him.

6 A student misbehaves in class and her teacher asks her to leave. The student is suspended from school and comes back. Nothing is resolved; nothing is restored. But with restorative practices, the student is held accountable and given support to resolve the issue, repair the harm and make a plan to ensure that the misbehavior doesn’t happen again. Relationships are restored and community is built. -Ted Wachtel, International Institute for Restorative Practices

7 Retributive or Restorative?

8 What are Restorative Practices? Harm-Focused: How have individuals been harmed? What do they need? – Identify, repair and prevent future harm Engagement: Victim, offender, community and schools are involved through a voluntary, facilitated dialogue process Responsibility/Obligations: Individuals accept responsibility for their actions Repair: Individuals agree to repair harm done Prevention: Individuals learn from their mistakes

9 Paradigm Shift Traditional JusticeRestorative Justice School and rules violatedPeople and relationships violated Justice focuses on establishing guiltJustice identifies needs and obligations Accountability = punishment Accountability = understanding impact, repairing harm Justice directed at offender, victim ignored Offender, victim and school all have direct roles in justice process Rules and intent outweigh whether outcome is positive/negative Offender is responsible for harmful behavior, repairing harm and working toward positive outcome No opportunity for remorse or amends Opportunity given for amends and expression of remorse

10 Soft on crime/offenders A way for the offender to avoid consequences Only for juveniles or less serious crime A new process The opposite or substitute for the existing system Restorative Practices ARE NOT:

11 Restorative Practices ARE: Victim-centered and victim- sensitive And an opportunity: - for victims to have a voice - for participants to take responsibility for their actions - for offenders to listen to those affected by their actions - to learn how to start changing their behavior

Social Discipline Window Ted Wachtel, International Institute for Restorative Practices TO Punitive Blaming Stigmatizing WITH Restorative Cooperating Collaborating Taking responsibility Being accountable NEGLECTFUL Ignoring Surviving NOT PERMISSIVE Rescuing Excusing Reasoning FOR LOW HIGH Control (limit setting & discipline) Support (encouragement, nurture)

13 Leadership Styles Punitive CharacteristicsResults Compliance is forcedResentment Power hoardedDe-valued Information is powerMistrust Fear of engagementWithdrawn/Acting Out Restorative CharacteristicsResults AuthoritativeFoster respect for all CollaborativeShared power Engaging Cooperative Focused on strengthsMaximize resources/respect

14 Goals of Restorative Justice The process and the journey. Open communication between the parties – not forcing an apology or giving / accepting forgiveness (although these are helpful). Helping people understand how their harmful actions have impacted others. When harm happens, it creates needs that participants deal with through open communication. Working with these needs is a key goal of restorative justice.

15 Withdrawal Attack Other Attack Self Avoidance Attack Other: “Turning the tables” Blaming the victim Lashing out verbally or physically / bullying The Compass of Shame Withdrawal: Isolating oneself Running and hiding / truancy Attack Self: Self put-down Masochism Eating disorders Self mutilization Avoidance: Denial, Abusing drugs and alcohol, Distraction through thrill seeking

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17 Continuum of Restorative Practices Foundation of Respect Foundation of Respect Restorative Conferences Victim-Offender Dialogue Circle Processes Small, Impromptu Conferences Restorative Inquiry / Restorative Reflection

18 Setting the Foundation Respect: What does it look like? Inquire in private Appropriate timing Stay neutral Listen (Use active, non-judgmental listening) Ask / seek to understand Watch your body language “Words can be windows or walls” Utilize the ‘Golden Rule--’ treat others like you would want to be treated!

19 Restorative Inquiry: Responding to challenging behavior – What happened? – What were you thinking of at the time? – What have you thought about since? – Who has been affected by what you have done? In what way? – What do you think you need to do to make things right?

20 Restorative Inquiry: Listening to those who have been harmed What did you think when you realized what had happened? What impact has this incident had on you and others? What has been the hardest thing for you? What do you think needs to happen to make things right?

Restorative Circles 21 “Circles are a form of participatory democracy” Kay Pranis

An Overview of Restorative Circles Value of circles: – Everyone is respected – Everyone speaks without interruption – Everyone explains their own story – Everyone is equal – Emotional aspects are welcome 22

An Overview of Restorative Circles Reasons to use a circle: – Make a decision together – Settle a disagreement – Addressing harm – Building community – Celebrating an accomplishment – Sharing struggles – Learning from each other 23

Types of Restorative Circles Community Building Talking Understanding Celebration Support * Conflict * Reintegration * Healing * *May require support from the Counselor, Social Worker, AP or School Psychologist

25 Circle Process Participation Guidelines Listen with respect. Each person gets a chance to talk. One person talks at a time without interruptions. Speak for yourself, not as the representative of any group. It’s ok to disagree; no name-calling or attacking. You can pass your turn.

26 The Transformation of West Philadelphia High School: A Story of Hope

27 Beneficial Findings Hull, England: – Improved staff attendance by 63 % – Decreased student drug use – Suspensions decreased by 81 % – Student tardiness decreased by 87 % – Parents felt more connected to school “Where respect and safety are the norm and problems get sorted out.”

Integration of RP and PBIS PBIS gives the school the structure within which to model, teach and reinforce positive pro-social skills, and consistently provide learning opportunities designed to increase demonstration of these skills RP gives schools the opportunity to focus on the needs of the individuals involved and repairing relationships rather than focusing on punitive measures

Restorative Approach (WITH rather than TO, FOR, NOT) Fair Process: engage, explain, expectation clarity Modeling respect Affective statements Circles: Community Building, Celebration, Learning, Dialogue Getting to know the individual Developing social emotional skills/social capital Listening /Giving students a voice Being non-judgmental An ethos of care and justice UNIVERSAL: Building and Supporting Positive Relationships INTERVENTION: Restoring Relationships Circles* Conferences

30 Points to contemplate… “There is no evidence that zero tolerance policies improve student behavior, the school climate, or school safety.” “In fact, research has found that such policies lead to more suspensions, school drop outs, and deviant behavior.” “Between 1991 and 2007, Illinois public school suspension rates increased 56% and expulsion rates more than doubled.” Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (2009). Implementing Restorative Justice: A guide for schools. (#10-017). Chicago, IL.

31 May your restorative practice journey help you to build and heal relationships, therefore strengthening your community. Trainings available! Thank you for coming! Kristen Woodward Joan Packer