Addressing Common Misconceptions
There are a lot of misconceptions about restorative practices and restorative justice that make people hesitant to incorporate it in a variety of settings. Three of the most common misconceptions about restorative practices are regarding aspects of forgiveness, accountability, and choice. In order to address these misconceptions, it is essential to offer educational materials that provide an accurate description and view of different restorative programs. These materials can come from articles and literature, but the most effective materials comes from lived experience. Videos, podcasts, and interviews with people who have actually been a part of restorative processes are the best materials to show people who hold misconceptions about restorative practices.
Forgiveness
Restorative processes are often conflated with forgiveness. People often think that the harmed party will be expected to forgive the responsible party. It's incredibly important to acknowledge that forgiveness is never expected as a part of the restorative process. What is expected is that a pathway to repair harm will be identified and the responsible party will do what they can to repair that harm. This, by no means, entitles the responsible party to forgiveness, and that is something that is noted at the beginning of each restorative process. In short, repairing harm does not equal earning forgiveness. However, all of this is not to say that forgiveness never happens. Sometimes a natural part of the restorative process is forgiveness. This forgiveness comes naturally, is never asked of the harmed party, and is often something that the harmed party believes they need to do for themselves. So, yes, forgiveness does sometimes occur in a restorative setting-- but forgiveness is never an expectation or requirement.
Accountability
Many people expect that restorative programs lack accountability because accountability looks significantly different in restorative programs than in the criminal justice system or discipline in traditional education settings. In the justice system, accountability comes in the form of punishment. The responsible party will either be sentenced or told to join a diversion program. Accountability in traditional education settings will often look like detentions, suspensions, or expulsions. Both of these contexts promotes accountability as something that is pushed on the responsible party, and as a very superficial action. Neither context offers adequate mental health services, acknowledgement to barriers both during and after the "accountability" process, or support to the people who have been harmed. In contrast, restorative justice centers the person or people who have been harmed and also acknowledges that people who have experienced trauma are often the people who inflict trauma. Restorative justice's method of accountability is a true process that comes from within the responsible party. By having a dialogue between the responsible party and the harmed party, the harmed party is able to process what happened to them, and the responsible party is able to understand their impact on others. A pathway is then identified as to how the harm can be repaired. This pathway looks different in each context, depending on each stakeholders' needs and skills. Services are offered to both the responsible party and the harmed party in order to ensure barriers to success are limited. This might include mental health services, housing, access to transportation, provisions of food and water, and assisting in gaining employment.
Choice
Sometimes, people don't support restorative practices because they believe that a restorative process is forced on people. Restorative processes should never be forced on anyone. Restorative programs and processes must be consensual from every stakeholder involved. If one of the stakeholders wants to proceed but the other does not, a restorative process will not occur. A restorative process must be agreed on by everyone, with the option to opt out at any moment. Restorative processes are not always a substitute for criminal or traditional justice, either. Sometimes, restorative processes come late in a prison sentence, before reintegration in a community. Restorative processes can also happen many years after harm was caused. Essentially, restorative processes start when every stakeholder is ready to start them.
There are a lot of misconceptions about restorative practices and restorative justice that make people hesitant to incorporate it in a variety of settings. Three of the most common misconceptions about restorative practices are regarding aspects of forgiveness, accountability, and choice. In order to address these misconceptions, it is essential to offer educational materials that provide an accurate description and view of different restorative programs. These materials can come from articles and literature, but the most effective materials comes from lived experience. Videos, podcasts, and interviews with people who have actually been a part of restorative processes are the best materials to show people who hold misconceptions about restorative practices.
Forgiveness
Restorative processes are often conflated with forgiveness. People often think that the harmed party will be expected to forgive the responsible party. It's incredibly important to acknowledge that forgiveness is never expected as a part of the restorative process. What is expected is that a pathway to repair harm will be identified and the responsible party will do what they can to repair that harm. This, by no means, entitles the responsible party to forgiveness, and that is something that is noted at the beginning of each restorative process. In short, repairing harm does not equal earning forgiveness. However, all of this is not to say that forgiveness never happens. Sometimes a natural part of the restorative process is forgiveness. This forgiveness comes naturally, is never asked of the harmed party, and is often something that the harmed party believes they need to do for themselves. So, yes, forgiveness does sometimes occur in a restorative setting-- but forgiveness is never an expectation or requirement.
Accountability
Many people expect that restorative programs lack accountability because accountability looks significantly different in restorative programs than in the criminal justice system or discipline in traditional education settings. In the justice system, accountability comes in the form of punishment. The responsible party will either be sentenced or told to join a diversion program. Accountability in traditional education settings will often look like detentions, suspensions, or expulsions. Both of these contexts promotes accountability as something that is pushed on the responsible party, and as a very superficial action. Neither context offers adequate mental health services, acknowledgement to barriers both during and after the "accountability" process, or support to the people who have been harmed. In contrast, restorative justice centers the person or people who have been harmed and also acknowledges that people who have experienced trauma are often the people who inflict trauma. Restorative justice's method of accountability is a true process that comes from within the responsible party. By having a dialogue between the responsible party and the harmed party, the harmed party is able to process what happened to them, and the responsible party is able to understand their impact on others. A pathway is then identified as to how the harm can be repaired. This pathway looks different in each context, depending on each stakeholders' needs and skills. Services are offered to both the responsible party and the harmed party in order to ensure barriers to success are limited. This might include mental health services, housing, access to transportation, provisions of food and water, and assisting in gaining employment.
Choice
Sometimes, people don't support restorative practices because they believe that a restorative process is forced on people. Restorative processes should never be forced on anyone. Restorative programs and processes must be consensual from every stakeholder involved. If one of the stakeholders wants to proceed but the other does not, a restorative process will not occur. A restorative process must be agreed on by everyone, with the option to opt out at any moment. Restorative processes are not always a substitute for criminal or traditional justice, either. Sometimes, restorative processes come late in a prison sentence, before reintegration in a community. Restorative processes can also happen many years after harm was caused. Essentially, restorative processes start when every stakeholder is ready to start them.