The Logos of Restorative Justice: Advancing Criminology Beyond Free Will

• In Event: Biological, biosocial and psychological interventions

Abstract

This presentation will examine how the principles and processes of Restorative Justice (RJ) can help us more effectively understand and assist individuals and families undergo intentional, positive, lasting change. Whether it is treating addiction or mental illness at a one-on-one scale or reducing recidivism at a community scale, RJ provides an updated model of human agency that integrates knowledge across disciplines such as Criminology, Law, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Social Work. Crucially, this model operates without a fixed belief in metaphysical free will, a paradigmatic assumption that leads to our most adversarial, punitive, and retributive practices. As such, we will analyze and utilize two evidence-based frameworks for motivation and behavior change that dovetail with the values of RJ, namely Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Based on our "pracademic" work at Cook County Jail in Chicago, IL, USA, and Alternatives to Traditional Incarceration of Citizens in Madison, WI, USA, we contend that advancing justice through interdisciplinary science amounts to moving away from antiquated notions of agency that still undergird many of our cultural, educational, and criminal-legal institutions.

Authors

• Joseph Rice, DePaul University

• Samuel Schweder, Alternatives to Traditional Incarceration of Citizens (ATTIC)