Restorative Justice
“Is a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offense and to collectively identify and address harms, needs and obligations, in order to heal and put things as right as possible.” -Howard Zehr, Zher Institute for Restorative Justice
Three assumptions underlie Restorative Justice:
- When people and relationships are harmed, needs are created
- The needs created by harms lead to obligations
- The obligations are to heal and “put right” the harms; this is a just response.
Three principles of Restorative Justice reflect these assumptions: A just response…
- Acknowledges and repairs the harm caused by, and revealed by, wrongdoing (restoration);
- Encourages appropriate responsibility for addressing needs and repairing the harm (accountability);
- Involves those impacted, including the community, in the resolution (engagement).
“Is a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offense and to collectively identify and address harms, needs and obligations, in order to heal and put things as right as possible.” -Howard Zehr, Zher Institute for Restorative Justice
Three assumptions underlie Restorative Justice:
- When people and relationships are harmed, needs are created
- The needs created by harms lead to obligations
- The obligations are to heal and “put right” the harms; this is a just response.
Three principles of Restorative Justice reflect these assumptions: A just response…
- Acknowledges and repairs the harm caused by, and revealed by, wrongdoing (restoration);
- Encourages appropriate responsibility for addressing needs and repairing the harm (accountability);
- Involves those impacted, including the community, in the resolution (engagement).
Articles

#NotYet: Why I Won’t Publicly Name Abusers
By Kai Cheng Thom Original article found here I’d like to believe that a better world is on her way. Certainly, the times we live

Punishing “Predators” Will Not Save Us
By Kelly Hayes,Truthout Original article found here Protesters attend a “Me Too” rally to denounce sexual harassment and assaults of women in Los Angeles, California, on

I’m a Campus Sexual Assault Activist. It’s Time to Reimagine How We Punish Sex Crimes.
by Sofie Karasek Original article found here I’ve told my story many times — I was assaulted, I reported it to my university, and it

The Rapist Next Door
by John D. Sutter Videos and photography by Brandon Ancil Please visit | Original article found here Stand outside Ruth’s wooden home here in Alaska

Punishment is Not Justice | Defying Definitions After Sexual Violence
by Wendy C. Ortiz Original article found here Fourteen years after writing the first draft of my memoir, I was standing in front of audiences,

Abuser and Survivor, Face to Face
by Leah Sottle Original article found here Can restorative justice, in which offenders talk with people who have been harmed by their crime, work for

Restorative Justice Is Bringing Humanity Back to Some Survivors of Assault
by Emily Reynolds Original article found here Claire was in her first semester of college when she was raped. “I was hanging out drinking with

Small Seeds
by Healing Bridges Project Original article found here Many people think that the stories I’m collecting will be huge, sweeping success stories. Stories where everything

A different path for confronting sexual assault
by Sujatha Baliga Original article found here “When I was crying, that was no,” Sofia yelled. “When I pushed your hands away, that was no! And
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Media
Restorative Justice at Home
By | Jennifer Viets
Jennifer Viets (she/her/hers) is a Restorative Justice practitioner both in community and in Chicago Public Schools. In her role as a Restorative Practices Coach, she works with all members of a school community to build relationships and employ restorative responses to harm. With an emphasis on using the arts to reach, teach, and heal, she has worked as a multi-disciplinary teaching artist and arts administrator for children and families for the past 30 years. Jennifer is also the mother and mother-in-law of four grown people, and a practicing Abolitionist. She is currently leading virtual circles for teachers, parents, and community members.
Presented by Project Nia on September 24, 2020.
The Transformative Power of Restorative Justice
By | The Ezra Klein Show
Episode 95: How to Do #MeToo Without Prisons (2 of 2)
By | Dr. Alissa Ackerman
European Forum for Restorative Justice
By | EFRJ
Tags: restorative justice, chicago, arts, healing, circles, chicago
Restoring Hope
By | Leah Varjacques
Tags: restorative justice, chicago, arts, healing, circles, chicago
A Different Approach to School Safety
by | Debbie Southorn
Tags: youth, justice, restorative justice, peace, forgiveness, healing, apology, harm, repair
Restorative Justice Forum Voice
By | Ethan Viets-VanLear
Tags: restorative justice, circles, circles and ciphers, ethan viets van lear, harm, healing
The Power of Circles
By | Ethan Viets-VanLear
Tags: circle keeping, restorative justice, healing, ethan viets vanlear
Chicago Restorative & Transformative Justice in Action
by | Gretchen Hasse
Tags: Restorative and Transformative Justice in Action Gathering, Chicago on August 17, 2012, circle keeping, training, youth, officers, parents, building
Restorative Justice: Why do We Need It?
By | Brave New Films
Tagsrestorative justice, video, alternatives to prison industrial complex
The Neuroscience of Restorative Justice
By | TED featuring Daniel Reisel
Tags: Daniel Reisel, ted x, neurobiology, rehabilitation, video
Healing Justice
By | A World Trust Production | A Film by Shakti Butler
Restorative Welcome and Reentry Circle
By | RJOY
Tags:restorative justice, video,
Meeting with a Killer - Documentary
By | Lisa F. Jackson
Tags:
Hollow Water
By | Bonnie Dickie
Tags: videos, survivors , harm doers, dialogues, r experiences of violence, restoration, healing
Storytelling & Organizing Project
by | Creative Interventions
Tags: Audio clips, transcripts, stories, intervention
Transform Chicago
by | Multiple Contributors
Tags: video, Chicago, restorative justice, transformative justice
Restorative Posters
Tags: posters , images, questions for people who have caused harm , how to repair harm, naming harm
Stories of Violence, Accountability, and Healing
By | Ever After
Tags: videos, survivors , harm doers, dialogues, r experiences of violence, restoration, healing
MacArthur 'Genius' sujatha baliga on the promise of restorative justice
By | City Visions
Episode 36: Tell Christy I Love Her
By | Ear Hustle
Mother’s Circle
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Curriculum
Planning to Identify, Prevent and Challenge Gendered Violence in Activism
Workshop by | Project Salvage
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Other Resources | Links

Life Comes From It: Navajo Justice Concepts
Life Comes From It: Navajo Justice Concepts
By | Chief Justice Emeritus Robert Yazzie of the Navajo Supreme Court
Conlicts as Property
By | Nils Christie
The Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice
Resources
Webinar: Transforming Violence: Restorative Justice, Violent Crime, and an end to Mass Incarceration
By | The Zehr Institute
The Road to Repair: Restorative Justice in the Aftermath of Serious Violence and Harm
By | Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Restorative Justice Listening Project
By | The Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice
A Diversion Toolkit for Communities
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