- Click here to contact us to explore how we could be supportive of your Restorative Practices implementation needs.
Rooted in a whole school or whole campus approach to RP implementation, GCC can help your institution build a vision and a pathway for a Restorative School Culture.
Through our trainings, technical assistance, coaching, facilitation, and restorative practices implementation support, we accompany school districts, individual schools, and school personnel on the exploration and implementation of restorative practices.
Restorative practices cultivate intrinsic motivation by building self‐awareness and empathy, giving voice to the human stories and needs behind the broken rules, and empowering students to participate in the process of problem-solving.
Click here to read more about School-based
The traditional approach taken by hundreds of U.S. schools over the past 20 years tends to focus on punishing harmful behavior, usually through exclusionary practices such as suspensions (both in-school and out-of-school) or expulsion.
Studies of the impact of such exclusionary methods has revealed startling disparities along lines of race, gender, and disability status – what is often called the “discipline gap.”
According to a 2014 report by the U.S. Department of Justice, African American or Hispanic students are already more likely to be disciplined than their white peers: black students are three times more likely to be suspended and expelled than white students, and over 50 percent of students referred by schools to law enforcement are African American or Hispanic.
A 2008 study by the American Psychological Association, found that students who were suspended exhibited higher rates of misbehavior and repeated suspension than students who were not, and that punitive discipline practices showed no significant impact on school safety.
The shift toward more restorative practices has produced dramatic results in many school environments, often reducing suspensions by 40 percent or more.
Looking to participate and learn some restorative practices of your own? Check out our calendar to see upcoming trainings →
Georgia Conflict Center supports colleges and universities as they explore inclusive and participatory ways of building a safe and welcoming community, as well as ways for working through conflict, harm and wrongdoing in a way that heals, repairs and ensures
support and accountability.
Looking for more information about Georgia Conflict Center?
Browse our Frequently Asked Questions page.
The criminal legal system is based on the notion that people who cause harm need to be harmed in order to achieve “justice”.
Restorative justice exists as a radical alternative to this ideology. Restorative justice chooses healing instead of retribution, mutual accountability over individual punishment.
Restorative justice engages in ancient ways of healing from harm, with the consent of everyone involved. Currently, we are developing a Restorative Justice Diversion in Athens.
Georgia Conflict Center's goal is to create a culture shift towards restorative justice and restorative practices. We're laying the groundwork for programming within the criminal justice system by partnering with local public officials to bring the practice of Restorative Justice Conferencing (RJC) to jails and prisons.
Click here to access free educational resources for restorative justice in the criminal legal system →
Restorative Justice Conferencing (RJC), is a restorative practice that can be utilized by the criminal legal system.
RJC in the United States is based on the courageous Maori tribe from New Zealand in the 1980s. The “Western” model of punishment disproportionately punished and incarcerated Maori people.
The Maori people, frustrated by the loss of their people and culture, introduced their restorative circle practices into the New Zealand legal system. Now referred to as Family Conferencing, the idea is beginning to take root throughout the United States.
RJC involves facilitating a consensual agreement-making process between the harmed and one who has caused harm. Restorative conferencing would allow select juvenile cases to be diverted from the juvenile justice system, allowing healing and a mutually-agreed resolution before trial. This keeps youth in their communities, accountable, and healthy.
Georgia Conflict Center will both train and pay our community members to conduct these conferences with juveniles, their families, and those harmed.
Building community capacity for engaging conflict and harm with empathy, respect, support and accountability is a central strategy for the Georgia Conflict Center.
Through training and facilitation in conflict transformation, restorative practices and nonviolent communication, we are working to support community groups and organizations to build peace with justice.
Can we support you, your group or your organization? Contact us and let us know how we can help.
