Restorative Practices
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Restorative Practices Resources
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What is Restorative Practices?
Honoring Ways & Practices of Indigenous Peoples and the Origins of Restorative Justice
There are both indigenous and western roots to restorative justice, and as the movement grounds itself in truth and liberation for all, both of these roots should be recognized and explored. Restorative justice in the United States can be traced back to indigenous origins. Although examples of what many have termed “restorative justice” among First Nations communities in Canada have been well documented, less has been written about equivalents in the US. Part of the difficulty in tracing restorative justice back to specific practices within indigenous communities is that they do not typically hold “restorative justice” as a program or a model, but rather as part of their lives and embedded in their culture. “Restorative justice” is a Western term. Moreover, the indigenous roots are not monolithic—indigenous communities practice circles and justice in different ways. Part of honoring this work means we must stay humble, knowing that these practices came before us and will outlast us.
At its core, restorative justice is about relationships, how you create them, maintain them, and mend them. It is based on the philosophy that we are all interconnected, that we live in relationship with one another, and that our actions impact each other. Grounded in this idea of interconnectedness, restorative justice is able to provide an alternative way of addressing wrongdoing. Wrongdoing is seen as a damaged relationship, a wound in the community, a tear in the web of relationships. Because we are all interconnected, a wrongdoing ripples out to disrupt the whole web—a harm to one is a harm to all.
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A Restorative Approach to Discipline
This video will provide information about the transformation of Chicago Public Schools by implementing restorative approaches to discipline.