Restorative justice is a paradigm that is distinct from criminal justice. Rather than asking traditional questions like “What law or rule was broken?,” Who broke it?,” and “What consequences or punishment do they deserve?,” restorative justice asks: “Who has been affected?,” “What are their needs?,” “Who has the obligation to address the needs, right the wrongs and restore the relationships?” It’s an effective approach that seeks to engage, heal and transform both the victims and the perpetrators of a crime simultaneously.
Every week Reclaiming Futures rounds up the latest news on juvenile justice reform, adolescent substance use treatment, and teen mental health.
Presidential Proclamation -- National Youth Justice Awareness Month, 2015 (The White House)
President Obama has proclaimed October 2015 "National Youth Justice Awareness Month" with the intention of facilitating youth justice system reform, and to call upon communities to support positive youth development and support programs nationwide. Read the entire proclamation here.
According to research conducted by The World Prison Brief, the United States has the highest prison population of any developed country in the world. The tendency to incarcerate, rather than rehabilitate, has taken its toll on our country’s most vulnerable youth. Due to increased public awareness around this issue, communities nationwide are exploring and implementing alternatives to incarceration -- as well as actively seeking to end the school-to-prison pipeline. Restorative Justice is one of the alternatives to the standard juvenile justice approach.
Videos from Reclaiming Futures’ annual Leadership Institute held this past June in La Jolla, California, are now available online!
The event, entitled “Public Health and Justice: A Partnership to Promote Equity and Well-being for Youth and Families,” brought together experts in juvenile justice and behavioral health to discuss equity and restorative justice in schools.
The following article was written by Fania E. Davis, Founding Director of 