Restorative Justice as a Window Into Relationships: Student Experiences of Social Control and Social Engagement

• In Event: Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: Successes and Challenges in Working With Schools and Educators on Peace Programs

Abstract

The practice of restorative justice (RJ) in education has been growing. RJ can be understood in dramatically different ways: as an approach that challenges systems of discipline and control in schools; or as another tool emphasizing compliance and punishment. This multi-site case study examined the application and intended objectives of RJ in schools in Scotland and Canada. Using questionnaires, observations, learning circles and engaging students as co-researchers, I focused on the student experience. The study finds that RJ in schools is a window into what is most fundamental to students: relationships. The study argues that RJ does not guarantee certain qualities of relationship, but it allows us to ask questions of how school relationships are used to engage and/or control.

Author

• Kristin Reimer, Monash University