Hello All,
I just came across this amazing video of a crime victim's account of his experience with Restorative Justice instead of criminal sentencing of the 16 year old who vandalized his business. You can see the first part of the print article in this link, but the remainder is only available to subscribers. The 3 minute video, however, gives a powerful accounting.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130108/NEWS10/301080093/Juvenile-defendants-can-meet-victims-settle-charges-outside-court?goback=%2Egde_103207_member_5831556092148080644#%21
I often get stuck thinking of education in secure settings as simply the ABCs and 123s behind bars. We are both blessed and cursed in that our exposure to and interpretation of "education" is completely multi-dimensional. The idea of Restorative Justice is to move beyond simple punishment and retribution in sentencing and to give crime victims a voice and a say in how the wrong they've been done is addressed. I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether you are aware of, a supporter of, or have any exposure to, restorative justice and how it may impact your facility, classroom and students.
Happy Saturday:)
-- Heather Erwin