As a member of Restorative Justice (RJ) DePauw, I want the club and the restorative justice philosophy as a whole to get more recognition. I wholeheartedly believe in RJ’s mission and think it is a great way to solve conflict on campus. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, restorative justice, the Center for Justice and Reconciliation says RJ, “views crime as more than breaking the law – it also causes harm to people, relationships, and the community. So a just response must address those harms as well as the wrongdoing.” Restorative Justice DePauw offers programs such as conflict mediation, conflict coaching, as well as circle process and mediation training, which prepare participants to help with conflict resolution with reconciliation in mind.
This practice has become increasingly popular on college campuses. Skidmore College, for example, recently launched a RJ project. “Instead of focusing only on punishing offenders, restorative justice pays attention to the needs of victims and communities. It seeks reparation of harm, healing of trauma, and reconciliation of interpersonal conflict,” said David Karp, professor of sociology and director of Skidmore’s Restorative Justice Project.
Spread the word to get more restorative practices on campus! A fair and just campus serves us all.
DePauw RJ’s Vision and Mission Statements:
RJ Vision Statement: DePauw’s Restorative Justice program envisions a campus community in which relationships can be developed across divides through fair, open conversations, and individuals and groups are valued for their own wisdom.
RJ Mission Statement:
We will accomplish this by providing services that create spaces for difficult conversations, truth-telling, relationship-building, healing, accountability and repair of harm. These services include circle processes, mediation, coaching, skill-development and awareness-building.
Please contact rachelgoldberg@depauw.edu or president eburnell_2018@depauw.edu for more information!