Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden is piloting a restorative justice program in Chelsea District Court and the Charlestown and Roxbury divisions of Municipal Court.

One of the most powerful and underused tools in a BIT’s toolbox is the integration of restorative practices. Conflict is almost always a reflection of something more profound, what psychologist Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D., the “father of nonviolent communication,” would call “a tragic expression of unmet needs.” Restorative practices acknowledge this reality and seek to meet it.

On Tuesday, City Schools of Decatur released the findings of an independent evaluator who looked into how the district responded to a teacher using a racial slur in class.

Schools like Harvest Collegiate High School have embraced restorative justice and devoted resources to those programs.

Restorative Justice

A recent piece from The New Yorker which highlights Leigh Goodmark, a professor at the University of Maryland who advocates for the decriminalization of domestic violence. Though this sounds like a radical position, the article shows statistics that suggest there is merit in an approach that does not involve mass incarceration.

A school in Pine Bluff introduced the 'restorative room' as a way to help encourage kids to process their emotions and get through tough experiences.