Restorative Justice on a College Campus

I was unsure on what to write about for this blog. So I went to the chronicle and found an article related to restorative justice. Here is the following link:
http://0-chronicle.com.umiss.lib.olemiss.edu/article/With-Restorative-Justice/30557/

This article is based upon the Colorado State University about a young student who drank too much and passed out in the front yard of a family’s residence. I think that after reading this article that the process of restorative justice is so important to have on college campuses. Not only did this student have to serve two years probation, but the student actually sat down and had to talk to the family and offices he dealt with the night of the incident.

The student’s awareness of the responsibility seemed to have increased because of this restorative justice program. He talks in the article how he feels like he needs to feel responsible for his actions by volunteering in different activities. One of these activities was being a driver for the campus’s safe ride home program. Restoration Justice gives students the ability to offer an alternative to the legalistic conduct systems which helps the student develop as an individual within a community. I think that this is extremely important in the overall development theories that all students should move through within the four years of an undergraduate experience. By having these meetings, and talking through these incidents that the students have gone through, in my opinion, makes the students more aware of what they have done and why it is so bad. The court fines and the probation sentences are bad, but I believe that the students don’t go through a personal connection of how their actions have affected people that they surround or the community that are found within. The personal connection that is created through the restorative justice process, allows to see exactly what their actions have caused. I think that this personal connection that is created is an essential process of the development theory that every student should go through.

At the end of this article, it talks about the three different strategies for the college campuses that are used within this article. I think there are interesting because you can see some similarities and some differences. This is proof that every college campus should create a system that would be BEST for that college campus.
After reading this article written in the Chronicle, I wanted to read more on the actual process in which restorative justice follows. I found this website which is http://www.restorativejustice.org which explains this process and what is needed to be done to function correctly. I had a little knowledgeable background when it came to this process so this is a great website for colleges to reference if they are thinking about having a restorative justice program. I personally think that every college campus should use these programs and follow specific guidelines when setting these processes. Here are three main principals to include when forming a foundation for the restorative justice program:

1. Justice requires that we work to restore those who have been injured.
2. Those most directly involved and affected by crime should have the opportunity to participate fully in the response if they wish.
3. Government's role is to preserve a just public order, and the community's is to build and maintain a just peace.

These are good when a college first sits down and tries to draw up a process for a restorative justice program. And also consider the four key values

Restorative programs are characterized by four key values:

1.Encounter: Create opportunities for victims, offenders and community members who want to do so to meet to discuss the crime and its aftermath.
2. Amends: Expect offenders to take steps to repair the harm they have caused.
3. Reintegration: Seek to restore victims and offenders to whole, contributing members of society.
4. Inclusion: Provide opportunities for parties with a stake in a specific crime to participate in its resolution

In conclusion, I think that these key values and three principals would give any college a solid base for the development of a program such as restorative justice. I personally think that every college should have a program similar to this because it does prove to students on a more personal level what they did was wrong. It was not only wrong by breaking the law (in some cases) but also it affects the community in which they live in. I think that the article that I found on the Chronicle will support what I believe and I am sure there are many others of them out there.


On a side note, I just want to wish the Ole Miss Rebel Softball team good luck this weekend at the Buzz Classic in Atlanta. Sorry I am not there in class, but I hope y’all enjoyed my blog! See you next week!