Researching prospects for restorative justice practice in schools: The Life at School Survey 1996-1999

Source: (2001) Restorative Justice Conference, Leuven, September, 2001. Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. Down loaded 26 June 03.

As the authors note at the outset of their paper, restorative justice practices are increasingly being regarded as attractive options for dealing with wrongdoing in school communities. Traditional punishments – such as suspension or expulsion – are being used as tools of last resort. Alternative forms of dealing with conflict in the school community come in a variety of forms, including counseling and rehabilitation programs, teaching more effective parenting, shaping school norms about appropriate behavior, and enabling children to mediate conflict and find peaceful solutions. Restorative justice fits within these broad social trends of best practice in school management. In this context the authors investigate questions about how best to build a restorative justice program in schools. Through results from the “Life at School Survey” – conducted at 32 schools in Canberra – they focus in particular on the prospects for restorative interventions based on the notion of shame management for students within a school community.