Restorative Justice and Young People
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Solving Bullying Together |
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As part of Co-operative Fortnight five schools, Bangabandhu, Mayflower, Old Palace, St Peters (London Dock) and Lawdale visited the Town Hall to explore how to stop bullying together. They looked at Restorative Justice, circle time and the two examples of Summerhill School and Janus Korczak’s Warsaw Orphanage. |
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You and Restorative Justice |
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When you have had someone call you a name, or take something from you, and you have met with them and talked about how you feel, and they have given the object back and apologised, and you have become friends again… then you have just done ‘restorative justice’! Most young children will do this naturally to solve problems between friends or class mates, but when people do not tell the truth, are unwilling to admit what they have done, they may need support to help solve the problem. |
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What does it mean? ‘Restorative Justice’ is made from two big words. |
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It means that when people do things that hurt others, the community involved can come together to discuss the problem and work out a solution. This community could be just the victim, the person who caused the harm, maybe some witnesses, and a person who can help ensure the process respects everyone, or it could be a group of friends or a class, or even a whole school. To help teachers and children to use restorative justice there are simple questions that can be used and the method of using circle time. ‘Restorative Justice’ is also about helping to create a community that does not wait for the harm to be done, but through circle time, sharing emotions, and solving problems together builds a community that cares for and respects each other. It builds on people understanding the feelings of those hurt, without punishing anyone. Share with other children and schools what restorative justice do you do in your school, how, and what do children think of it? You may have playground buddies or children who help others to solve problems, you may have a anti-bullying group, you may have a class circle time to talk about problems, you may have a staff member who people see if they have a problem and they help you to sort it out with the people who are harmed or creating the harm. |
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| What does your school and others do? | |
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The oldest two examples of children using it, There are two examples of Restorative Justice, that go back some 90 years. A school that still exists is Summerhill School, which the BBC have created a drama and film showing how it works. Its community meets twice a week to talk about problems of bullying, stealing and justice, and to solve them. Click here to see when Christchurch School met a student from Summerhill.
Before World War 2 Janus Korczak, a Jewish Dr, writer and broadcaster, ran a democratic orphanage, that used restorative justice in its Children’s Courts.
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But they also include punishment? |
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Restorative justice is not about blaming or punishing. Both these examples include the possibility of ‘punishing’ the person who has done harm, and of confronting them if they are not telling the truth, with witnesses and evidence. It allows Restorative Justice to be a chosen outcome of the process, if the community agrees. |
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Where to find more? |
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