Shifting from Punishment to Restorative Practices in Criminal Justice and Education Settings

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

This panel will present findings from three studies on how restorative practices have been integrated into two historically punitive settings: the prosecutorial process and school disciplinary practices. Two of the presentations will discuss the final results of studies on prosecutorial referrals to restorative justice processes as diversion or as part of plea agreements, exploring the opportunities and contradictions inherent to using restorative practices within the criminal legal system. The third presentation will share early insights from a study on the implementation and impact of integrating restorative practices into K-12 school safety frameworks that may also include school resource officers and security staff. All three presentations will discuss our methods for gathering the perspectives of those directly impacted by these policies and practices and the system actors responsible for implementing them, as well as the community-engaged methods guiding the three studies.

Sub Unit

• Area VII. Non-Criminal Justice Responses to Crime & Delinquency / 61. Community Responses

Individual Presentations

• Findings from a National Study of Restorative Justice Programs for Serious and Violent Offenses - Lily Robin, Urban Institute, Justice and Safety Division; Leigh Courtney, Urban Institute; Andreea Matei, Urban Institute; Jackson Overton-Clark, Urban Institute; Russell Rowe, Urban Institute, Justice and Safety Division

• Findings from a Study of the DC Office of the Attorney General’s Restorative Justice Program - Leigh Courtney, Urban Institute; Andreea Matei, Urban Institute; Russell Rowe, Urban Institute, Justice and Safety Division; Lily Robin, Urban Institute, Justice and Safety Division; Jeremiah Mungo, Urban Institute

• Interim Findings from a Study on the Implementation and Impact of Restorative Practices within a Multicomponent School Safety Approach - Walter Campbell, Urban Institute; Leigh Courtney, Urban Institute; Russell Rowe, Urban Institute, Justice and Safety Division; Jackson Overton-Clark, Urban Institute; Sam Bachman, The Urban Institute; Lyndsey DeLouya, Urban Institute

Discussant

• Andreea Matei, Urban Institute