# data[].attributes.body
Although there are many different theories about how students should be treated after deliberately demonstrating an undesirable behavior, restorative justice has proven time and time again to be extremely beneficial. For those who are unfamiliar with restorative justice, it is a process in which when a student misbehaves in the school setting, they are encouraged to reflect on their behavior, learn from it, and rejoin the class community without being scrutinized, targeted, or isolated. Some background about restorative justice includes that it originated in Canada in 1974 when two young offenders vandalized school property. Instead of sending the students to a juvenile detention center or ordering community service hours, a probation officer and prison support worker met with them and utilized restorative justice to resolve the situation. After this series of events, many successful Victim Offender Reconciliation Programs were created and the modern field of restorative justice was developed. Due to its overwhelmingly positive effects on students and the community, restorative justice should be utilized in all schools across America. 

# data[].attributes.body
One reason that restorative justice should be implemented in schools is because it creates opportunities for victims, offenders, and community members to come together and resolve the situation at hand. “[Restorative justice focuses] on repairing harm for all parties involved. This process may include some form of punishment for the offender, but the lens is much wider than that” (Gonzalez, 2020). The process of restorative justice includes four main phases. The first phase is known as the “encounter” stage where all parties involved in the situation at hand, such as a bully, a victim, and a teacher or counselor, meet together and discuss the incident and its harm. The second phase is the “emends” stage which expects the offenders to take steps to repair the damage, emotional or physical, that they have caused. Third is the reintegration phase which seeks to restore both the victim(s) and the offender(s) to contributing members of society. Finally comes the “inclusion” phase where all individuals are provided opportunities to collaborate in creating a resolution which resolves the situation at hand and works to prevent similar cases from occuring in the future (Balgoyen, 2010). Overall, each phase of the restorative justice process encourages all parties involved to work together and resolve the issues. It avoids singling out an offender which helps to keep them from feeling isolated or targeted. If an individual feels that they are not heard or appreciated, they will oftentimes self isolate themselves which promotes similar undesired behaviors in the future. Maintaining a safe environment in which all people can be heard and supported betters the situation all together and lessens the likelihood of repeated offenses.

# data[].attributes.body
In addition to creating opportunities for all people to come together without hurting anyone’s self esteem, restorative justice also helps students understand the concept of consequences. When a student commits some sort of offense, there is commonly an aspect that gets overlooked in traditional punishment, “Restorative justice takes incidents that might otherwise result in punishment and finds opportunities for students to recognize the impact of their behavior, understand their obligation to take responsibility for their actions, and take steps towards making things right” (Restorative Justice, 2002). Restorative justice was created as an alternative to immediate punishment by the offender and made to help them understand the consequences of their actions, encourage taking responsibility, and result in a change of behavior. This is different than traditional punishment methods because it looks more closely at what is going on at home with a student, what they are feeling in school, the actions or events that lead up to the undesirable behavior, and it provides the student an opportunity for reflection, understanding, and growth.

# data[].attributes.body
Furthermore, restorative justice should be utilized in schools because it has proven to better the community as a whole through a decrease in repeated offenses. As previously discussed, each phase of the process works to bring communities together and create an “us against the problem” take instead of one person against another. Due to this set up, offenders are less likely to recommit the behaviors that caused some sort of harm and be reintegrated with the rest of the community. One specific case in California involved, “Oakland Unified School District [who] began using the program at a failing middle school in 2006. Within three years, the pilot school saw a decrease in suspensions by a whopping 87 percent, with a corresponding decrease in violence.” (WeAreTeachers, 2019). There are many other districts who have began practicing restorative justice instead of alternative punishment methods which has resulted in rapid decreases in violence, repeat offenses, bullying cases, and self-image issues amongst students. Restorative justice goes beyond repairing the harm of a single event and instead focuses on creating a positive, safe, inclusive environment in which every individual is encouraged to voice their opinions, better their community, and grow as members of their society.

# data[].attributes.body
Many have been led to believe that this process requires too much engagement from the students and teachers, that neither party will be willing to cooperate, too much time and money would be wasted, and that there would be too much administrative training for adults to facilitate these encounters. In opposition to these ideas, there have been several cases, such as that of California, where students have been more than willing to cooperate with the process. They actively engage in the discussion because they want to voice their opinions and explain their side of the story. In addition, time and money are not always sacrificed because there is usually a window of time that can be carved out of the day, such as recess, lunch, or study time, where students can be excused to engage with the restorative justice process. This concept is extremely similar to any other counseling or behavioral issue programs that are already embedded in schooling systems. Restorative justice does not necessarily require extra practice or training, especially amongst social workers or counselors, and instead is simply a change in approach when addressing the individuals involved.

# data[].attributes.body
To summarize, restorative justice creates opportunities for all individuals involved to come together as a whole, avoids isolating any one person, promotes understanding of consequences, and betters communities as a whole by resulting in more desirable behavior changes than traditional punishment methods. This process does not often require extra training, time, nor expenses to districts, and can be viewed as a modern approach to various situations in an educational environment. Overall, restorative justice is both an alternative to punishment and a counseling opportunity for those who may need it. It promotes self-awareness, crime prevention, and team building skills, all of which are necessary in maintaining a positive learning environment in which each student has equal opportunity to grow. Therefore, all schools should utilize this process in order to not only benefit the school, but the community as a whole.

# data[].attributes.body
Balgoyen, S. (2010). What is Restorative Justice? Retrieved September 08, 2020, from http://www.ibarji.org/WhatIsIt.asp

Gonzalez, J. (2020, June 13). Restorative Justice in School: An Overview. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/restorative-justice-overview/

Restorative Justice / Restorative Justice Philosophy. (2002). Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://www.ousd.org/domain/5011

THE HISTORY OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE. (2015). Retrieved September 08, 2020, from http://www.arjaa.org/history-of-restorative-justice

WeAreTeachers Staff. (2019, January 15). What Teachers Need to Know About Restorative Justice. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://www.weareteachers.com/restorative-justice/

Costello, B., Wachtel, J., & Wachtel, T. (2019). Restorative circles in schools: A practical guide for educators. Bethlehem, PA: International Institute for Restorative Practices.