Restorative justice views crime as more than breaking the law – it also causes h

Restorative justice views crime as more than breaking the law – it also causes harm to people, relationships, and the community. A just response must address those harms as well as the wrongdoing. If the parties are willing, the best way to do this is to help them meet to discuss those harms and how to about bring resolution. Other approaches are available if they are unable or unwilling to meet. Sometimes those meetings lead to transformational changes in their lives.” From the Tutorial Lesson 1: What Is Restorative Justice? This small essay that you are writing is about your take on “Restorative Justice”. Make sure you know what restorative Justice is about On October 31 this year (last week), the Atlantic published this article, “The People Most Ignored by the Criminal-Justice System”. I copied it out and posted it for you. Think about this question as you go through these materials. When we talk about consequences of crime – what should our priority be? Transforming people? Restoring health? Or a punitive system? This last module is for the chapter on the Cultural Construction of Violence and we need to think about what this means in the world we live in now. Please remember this is not simply an exercise about how a person restores themselves or heals themselves after a crisis, works out a conflict during a disagreement, etc. Students in former classes often mistake “restorative justice” for “mediation” or “conflict resolution”. Both of those are related, but not the same. This is about when there are two (or more) parties to a conflict, and one has harmed the other (or harmed an entity), and there is work done between both parties to restore well being or relationships or financial equilibrium (whatever restoring wellness after the crime means to both of them). The person who was wronged is brought back into well being and the person who did the harm has a chance to reclaim dignity by taking responsibility and making reparations or as your grandmother used to say, “a chance to make things right again”. Obviously this is not a panacea and doesn’t fit all kinds of crimes. Please read carefully through the explanation and the examples and the many places to find case studies. Language Matters I have very deliberately avoided the words “victim, perpetrator, criminal”. We are talking about people with lives that were disrupted and get a chance to restore justice. People who bear the consequences of the crime. People who commit the crimes. People. Take this is a challenge to not use those words in this essay and see how it shifts a narrative. In this assignment, give yourself the discipline of not using the word “victim” or the word “criminal” to refer to your case – how does it change the way we hear the story? Use person centered language instead, also know as “people first” language that came from disability studies. It’s important in our quest to not dehumanize people on either side of a crime. If you are using the title of a specific program, and the title includes the words “Victim” or “Offender” as in this example, Victim/Offender Education Group (VOEG), consider yourself exempt from the discipline of changing your language – but ONLY in the quoted material. Be careful to put quotes around it and make sure we know you would not use those words yourself in your writing for this assignment. Include a Case Study of Restorative Justice I gave you a lot of links in the prompt – please please please try to use case studies not used by everyone else in the class. Dig Deeper. Find examples that resonate with you. Explain the Case Study you choose – tell us the story so we don’t have to open the link (but include the link – hyperlink with TITLE. You are explaining to us how restorative justice has been used to mediate crimes, problems at school, repair the social fabric, resolve conflicts, make justice work, fix wrongs, repair broken people and broken lives? And… if you feel free to do so – bring it home and tell us stories that you have been privileged to live yourself or in accompanying those you love. Even if this is not a direction you are headed in your life – what kinds of skills could you pull out if you needed them and where did you learn them? I know our class is made up of people from all disciplines, and your approaches will vary enormously. How is restorative justice used in the professions you imagine having some day? If you can’t find anything – borrow another profession! RUBRIC Please see the rubric for the details of how I grade. If something is missing – you get a zero for that portion. 55% Write reflectively and thoughtfully for at minimum 500-700 words (25%). Use Case Study (20%). Frame the problem without using the words “victim” or “criminal” – use people first language (5%). Make a reference to Robbins and Dowty Chapter 8 or my MODULE VIII Introduction to “Cultural Construction of Violent Conflict” (5%). What gives you hope? 15% Add urls of websites, embed videos about peace-building efforts, reconciliation, restorative justice, etc. for your case study. Describe the resources you add to the board in detail. Don’t just paste them in and say, “This is interesting” (which tells us absolutely nothing and will not get credit). Tell us why you chose it and why it is important. 10% Embed one image – one image of abstract art, a meme, a comic strip (etc etc) that says something you want to say visually. (Use the picture of a camera icon on the left top of the text box) 20% Comment on the work of three people in the class – this is the last time we interact over these assignments – so pay attention to people you have learned to know through Padlet postings. SPECIAL NOTE: Take care of others Sexual assault/homicide and some violent crimes are sometimes included in examples of restorative justice. I have asked you in the prompt to PLEASE NOT use these examples. You will certainly read some in your search. With the number of college students affected by sexual violence, there are likely to be people in this class who know about this all too well. Some crimes can NOT be resolved this way. Write sensitively. Take care of yourself To those of you who have been impacted by serious crimes or had family and friends deeply wounded by criminal acts and find this topic painful – it’s o.k. There are alternatives. Restorative justice has never been and never will be a solution for all of these things.