1. The aim of Restorative Practice in our Catholic School Communities :
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
AND
CATHOLICISIM
The aim of Restorative Practice in our Catholic School Communities :
To strengthen relationships and to manage conflict and tensions by repairing harm as a way of building community and responding to God’s call

2. Scriptural Links
The Scriptural Connections to Restorative Practice are
numerous. Some examples are:
The concept of “Shalom” (from the Old Testament) which
Is a way of peace and justice...a way of being
God is just and seeks justice for all of us as seen in Psalms 11:7
Isaiah 61:8 and Jeremiah 9:24
The Woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11

3. 2 Corinthians 5:18

4. Restorative Practice From Our Faith Tradition
Restorative Practice is an excellent fit with the Sacrament of Reconciliation
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church
Along with the Anointing of the Sick, they are called Sacraments of Healing
There are three parts to the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Conversion
Confession
Celebration

5. Conversion
begins when one realizes that all is not right with one’s values and decisions
this conversion is a response to being loved by God
contrition is the second part of the conversion:
this involves examining our relationships in light of love and to
take the necessary steps to change behaviour that has caused us
to do wrong
To repair those relationships that were damaged by our actions

6. Confession
is the external expression of the interior transformation that conversion
has brought about in us
why confession? We need to see, hear, and feel forgiveness not just think
about it
* we need community to help us to externalize what is within

7. Celebration
*when the relationship is repaired, it is very appropriate to celebrate with
a communal expression of love and forgiveness that embodies the love
and forgiveness of God

8. The Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations:
A Discerning Believer Formed in the Catholic Faith Community
An Effective Communicator
A Reflective, Creative and Holistic Thinker
A Self-Directed, Responsible, Lifelong Learner
A Caring Family Member
A Responsible Citizen
See handout

9. Punitive vs. Restorative Responses
Harm - rules broken
Harm – people hurt, relationships damaged
Responses – blame and punishment/pain
Responses – needs created by harm, making things right
Justice – seeks to prove right and wrong
- Achieved through guilt and punishment
Justice – sought through understanding, talk & reparation
- Achieved through responsibility, needs being met, healing of relationships
Limited acceptance into family/school/community
Maximizes chances for full acceptance
Punishment
Harm is defined by the breaking of rules and by guilt
Response: those in authority determine blame and administer punishment
Action/response - from the system toward the harmer
Restorative
Harm is a violation of people and relationships Restorative
Response: people harmed, people who caused the harm and community search for solutions that promote REPAIR, RECONCILIATION and REASSURANCE
Action/response - determined by ALL parties 9

11. Restorative Questions
To respond to challenging behaviour 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?
To help those harmed by other’s actions 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 makes things right?

12. Scenario:
Vito walked over to the booth where Brian and Rob were displaying their project. He kicked the table, causing a glass beaker to fall off and shatter. Some grade 3 students were nearby when this happened.

14. Assumptions
Assumptions are one of the major contributing factors to conflict and /or problems.
Assumptions are made without knowing all of the facts and other important information including feelings.
Assumptions are made up of three parts – intent, action and effect
We often assume that others understand our intentions (PRIVATE)
We also assume that the effect of our actions will be consistent with what we intended
When we are on the receiving end of an action, we assume that the instigator knows how their action affected us (PUBLIC)
We also assumed that they intended the effect (THOUGHT)
In mediation, in our role as a facilitator, we need to get to the private thought behind the action The goal is to help participants understand one another’s intentions and the effects one person’s actions have on the other person
For example – a student is walking down the hall gives a funny look to another student – that student thinks it was a “dirty look” and wants to fight when really the student was just feeling ill 14 14

15. Perceptions The Four Colours 15 15
Put four items of different colours on the floor (could use chocolate bars, toy cars, balls etc.)
Have two volunteers facing each other
Ask volunteer #1 – which colour is on the left? which colour is on the right? Which colour is closest? Which one is furthest away? Thank volunteer #1.
Ask volunteer #2 - which colour is on the left? which colour is on the right? Which colour is closest? Which one is furthest away? Thank volunteer #2.
After volunteer #2 is done – stand back and look puzzled – “Volunteer #2 say red is on the right, yet volunteer #1 says blue is on the right. In fact, all your answers to my questions are opposite from each other. One of you must be lying! How am I ever going to know the truth?
Debrief: Ask the participants what they learned from this exercise - you will only know the truth by looking at each person’s point of view – no one was lying, but describing things as they saw it – for their different perspectives
Establishing blame according to “who is lying” is not always effective or helpful
It is important to take the time to get the whole story from each person and sincerely try to understand their perspective
Mediators or facilitators have the chance to invite people in conflict to put themselves in the other person’s place, and look at things in another way
This does not make one person “right” and one person “wrong” but helps to bring clarity and understanding to a situation
This exercise also emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions
By using the word “your” in the previous exercise - “Which colour is on your right?” not “Which colour is on the right?”
Using open ended questions rather than closed ended questions can also help. We will spend some time looking at question types a little later on. 15 15

16. The Wise Elders and the Elephant
Refer to handout “The Wise Elder and the Elephant”
Why are the elders unable to find out exactly what the elephant is like
How could they have learned more about the elephant
The wise elders had a conflict based on perceptions – what they thought they saw
Sometimes we feel we have the whole truth and do not take time to listen to what others have to say – this prevents us from seeing the whole picture 16 16

17. 17

18. Scenario
Vito spent several weeks working on his science fair project
about solar eclipses. During the fair, Brian and Rob came by Vito’s booth and laughed at his project. They also made comments like “What a stupid project”. Vito walked over to the booth where Brian and Rob were displaying their project. He kicked the table, causing a glass beaker to fall off and shatter. Some grade 3 students were nearby when this happened.

19. Restorative Conference Circles
This format lends itself to resolving day to day minor issues.
Informal with expected resolutions (harmed and harmer present)

20. Circle Process
All parties are part of a consensus approach in a safe environment
Encourages all significant interests to be represented and respected
Gives voice to all those who have been harmed
Allows participation in the decisions about what should be done to repair the harm

21. Circle Process Student offenders must: Admit to their actions
Demonstrate a sense of remorse
Willing to make amends

22. The Role of the Mediator
Guides the process
Is Impartial
Is trustworthy
Is a good listener
Is respectful
Refer to handout “The Mediator Who you need to be”
Address issues of confidentiality – handout Confidentiality Guidelines 22

23. Closed and Open Questions
Closed questions can be answered with “yes” or “no” or with other one-word answers
Open questions cannot be answered with a “yes” or “no”, are more thoughtful and express feelings, concerns, hopes, fears, interests and expectations
Both types of questions have a role to play
– what is your purpose?
- What kind of info are you trying to gather?
Closed ended questions are good at the beginning as they help people to “warm up”
Consider how you word your questions
- Why did you do that? vs. What was going through your mind when you did that?
- Why questions might lead to a more defensive response
- What and How can encourage a person to be more responsive
Have participants complete handout “Closed and Open Questions – Turning them around: From Closed to Open”
Have participants complete handout “Closed and Open Questions – Open Questioning Skills” 23 23

24. Review the handout “Active Listening Guidelines”
Consider how these can be used as part of restorative practice
It is vital that you listen for feelings 24 24

25. Restorative Questions
Circle Time
Scenario
Vito spent several weeks working on his science fair project
about solar eclipses. During the fair, Brian and Rob came by Vito’s booth and laughed at his project. They also made comments like “What a stupid project”. Vito walked over to the booth where Brian and Rob were displaying their project. He kicked the table, causing a glass beaker to fall off and shatter. Some grade 3 students were nearby when this happened.
Restorative Questions
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?

26. When to stop a mediation?
Violence
Verbal abuse
Power imbalance
Co-mediator does something harmful
Issues of serious abuse or harm identified
“Over your head”
Participants are shutting down
Participants are “stuck” and unwilling to resolve the problem
In some cases only a break is needed
How might you do this? What might you say?
“I think we are going to need to end this mediation for now until we can talk to _____ about where we
go from here”
“I think this would be a good time to take a break and decide if we want to go any further with this right now.”
If you need to stop a mediation it is important to have the participants commit to no further violence until the next meeting and to confidentiality to stop the problem from getting bigger before you meet again 26

27. Office Referral Form What happened?
NAME:
DATE:
GRADE:
TEACHER:
Student Reflection:
Your P/VP/Assistant/Intern will be talking with you about your responses below.
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?
In our role – as caring adults we start with the end in mind – we want students to be successful- also want them to feel and be part of our community and students need to be accountable for their actions . Situations arise when a student must come to the office.
When students are sent to the office – the framework for these questions allows the student to reflect upon the incident and also look at who has been affected/ and in what way – and it also students the opportunity to begin problem solving on what things need to occur to repair the harm.
By having students complete this form it gives the opportunity to take ownership for the situation/incident.
At times a student may not want to write anything down – How do you deal with this? – Allow the student to take the form home and complete it and then meet the next day before student returns to Class
Key: Questions provide the opportunity for dialogue and there is a level of accountability given to the student. 27

28. Focus on relationships more less on rules
A Catholic school community is aligning school practice with Restorative Practice when they:
Focus on relationships more less on rules
Give voice to the person(s) harmed
Incorporates the Gospel Values through daily interactions with staff, students, and community
Give voice to the person who caused the harm
Engage in collaborative problem-solving
Enhance responsibility
Empower change and growth
Plan for restoration