Reflections of The Rock: Restorative Justice, Programs, and Teaching in Carceral Settings

• In Event: The Penal Colony: Rikers, Time, and Social Justice Alternatives

Abstract

This presentation discusses through reflection and reflexivity, teaching at Rikers Island and New York City’s youth detention facilities. As a volunteer, I work with youth, young adults, and elder residents in these facilities in discussing the broader concepts of restorative justice (RJ) as a paradigm shift towards violence. While RJ principles are centered around bringing together the victim, offender, and community to repair and make whole, it is often centered around individual approaches to change. However, utilizing the pillars of thinking through reducing harm, engaging in repair, and spreading accountability, my approach intends to think about RJ from a structural standpoint. In other words, what role does the state play in creating environments of harm, exacerbating violence, and poverty, and what are the ways we can combat and pushback against.

Author

• Calvin John Smiley, Hunter College, CUNY