You can’t do Restorative Justice without community members. I believe they bring in collective wisdom. I train our volunteers on aspects of Restorative Justice, and request they show up with their best selves.
I focus on Restorative Justice Accountability as being:
acknowledging you caused harm
understanding that harm from anothers point of view
recognizing where you had choices
take steps [...]
Consider for a moment your most conflicted relationship. Who are you at conflict with right now? Today, at this moment. The person maybe part of your inner circle of connections, your child, spouse, friend or coworker. Maybe you have a more distant relationship that is in conflict, a boss, an ex-wife, an old boyfriend.
Conflict is [...]
In Bikram Yoga, (my blog links, one with a video) the poses are held for 30 or 60 seconds. As you feel your body tense and you are struggling to hold the pose (in the 104 degree room). The teacher will say “change”. As smoothly as possible, you move to the next position or the pause [...]
One of the phrases I typically say in trainings: “Nothing new under the sun”. My point is two-fold. First Restorative Justice isn’t all that orginal, its more of the orginal kindness people needed to survive. It’s as old as the sun itself. I believe Restorative Justice reconnects us to the past way of relating.
I make [...]
I am rereading Restorative Justice Transforming Societies. I am teaching from this book, the University of Wisconsin River Falls, Special Topics course Intro to Restorative Justice. As I read the book again, from just a year ago, I’ve been suprised at what I find interesting, or have more experience with that creates these “a-ha’s” for [...]
Today in Bikram Yoga, the teacher introduced me to a new term. “Yoga Buzz”. We do a pose that gets your heart pounding like you ran up a set of stairs. In reality it’s a backward bend in 104 degree heat. I love it. It’s not for everyone. In one class I remember thinking “am I [...]
No matter who we are someone in life is going to hurt our feelings, make us mad or frustrated. Someone will push a button that pushes an emotion.
I was telling my friend/old boyfriend that I wanted to be like Mother Theresa and that no one would make me mad. He asked “How do you know, [...]
The Journal for Peace & Justice Studies – volume 18 number 1 & 2 out of Villanova University is dedicated to Restorative Justice. I have finally gotten a chance to start reading it.
The first article by Joyce Zavarich provides an excellent background in Restorative Justice. What I really liked was a figure she developed. She breaks [...]
You don’t actually bring yarn and a needle to a restorative justice pre-conference. I’ve named something, made a metaphorical explanation. You crochet who the person is, what is relative to them, into the pre-conference process.
Here’s how it developed. I’m training in a new staff person. I am taking her to all the pre-conferences I am doing [...]
