New Narratives of Restorative Justice: How Catholic Education Can Break the School-to-Prison Pipeline

• In Event: Striving for the Common Good: Mission-Based Equity and Inclusion in Catholic Education

Abstract

Though schools are comparative safe places for youth, punitive disciplinary practices derived from the criminal justice system remain commonplace. Coupled with racial disparities in school discipline, punitive practices contribute to lower rates of graduation and higher rates of incarceration for Black and Latino students. Restorative practices are an alternative model of discipline that is proven to drive fewer students out of school and into prison. But there can be resistance to adopting those practices remain among some students, families, faculty and staff who hold various objections to restorative discipline. To meet those concerns, this paper proposes a narrative justifying restorative practices in American victims’ rights and community building. Restorative practices are an alternative to punitive discipline. A collection of data-driven interventions ranging from affective statements to formal group circles, restorative practices are focused on repairing harm created in disciplinary incidents. These practices see disciplinary incidents as opportunities for healing, learning, and building community. Schools employing these practices see substantially lower drop-out rates for Black and Latino students (Gonzalez, 2012).

Author

• Perry Petrich, University of San Francisco