Restorative Justice A Positive Intervention September 11, 2009 Greater Littleton Youth Initiative LPS

Bill HGB-1129 In 2007 a bill was passed to create a restorative justice coordinating council that will provide assistance and education related to restorative justice programs in schools, justice systems, communities, and prisons This council is strongly encouraged to consider programs with RJ components when developing their plan

Restorative Justice is a paradigm shift Instead of: Focusing attention on an offending student Directing the discipline Using exclusion as punishment RJ : Widens the lens to include attention to the person harmed and everyone else impacted Facilitates problem solving Use restitution to repair the harm

Differences Between Restorative vs. Punitive Community Conferencing Center PunishmentRestorative Approach Alienation - Relationships damaged (student-educator; parent-educator; student-student ) Builds relationships PassiveActive Teaches person what not to doTeaches person what to do No need to really think about how others have been affected or harmed Held accountable by learning how actions affected others and by learning how to make things right Not effective at preventing future incidents Effective at preventing reoccurrences

Preventative: A Classroom Meeting Provides a safe space for young people to Express what is on their minds Come up with their own ideas and solutions Connect with their classmates and their teacher. © Community Conferencing Center

Restorative Methods and Relationship Management in Schools Community Conferencing Center Classroom Meeting Outcomes Fewer classroom arguments New student to student friendships Better relationships between teacher and students Greater interest in learning Commonly disruptive students begin to respond to minimal direction

Restorative: The Community Conference A one time meeting where everyone who is either involved in or affected by a crime or a conflict come together to… hear what happened learn how everyones been affected decide how to repair the harm © Community Conferencing Center

Restorative Methods and Relationship Management in Schools Community Conferencing Center Fighting Assaults on adults Bullying Gossiping Vandalism Theft Trespassing Truancy Possession of a deadly weapon Reintegrating after suspensions Alternative to suspension and arrest Community Conferencing is used for…

Restorative Methods and Relationship Management in Schools Community Conferencing Center Students are held accountable for their behavior Suspension can be reduced by 60% Significantly decreases likelihood of retaliation and re-offending Builds relationships among students Builds trust between students, teachers, and administrators Community Conferencing Outcomes

To Sum it Up To Sum it Up By applying restorative measures in schools: school personnel have another tool to use with children and youth to repair harm and teach problem solving skills Programs already up and running successfully such as: Life Skills, Positive Behavior Support, Olweus Bully Proofing, and Restorative Justice all speak the same language and work well together as a discipline system