Restorative Justice

Catalog description

Restorative Justice is an emerging alternative to punishment and revenge as the traditional response to crime and other forms of offense. Practitioners employ “talking circles” designed to cultivate truth telling, accountability, healing and reparation in place of expensive, lengthy, and often questionable procedures of litigation and incarceration. Restorative Justice has its roots in indigenous societies, but its adaptations in modern society have been successful, including extensions of Transformative Justice that aim to redress historical and institutional injustice. Through readings, films, guest lectures, and role play, students learn the theory and methods of application of Restorative Justice from a range of historical cases.