Restorative Justice

Restorative justice focuses on repairing harm and restoring relationships.

Restorative justice offers people a chance to respond to a conflict or wrongdoing in a way that is both meaningful and just. By emphasizing the needs of those who were hurt, encouraging accountability by those who caused the harm, and including the community, restorative justice promotes healing rather than punishment.

In 2013, the Center for Court Innovation worked with mentors from tribal communities to launch its first peacemaking initiative in Red Hook, Brooklyn. This diversion program replaced jail and other court-imposed punishments with a community-based peacemaking process. Its success prompted two similar community-based programs in Syracuse and the Bronx.

Committed to continuing to test our ideas, we embarked on a federally-funded randomized controlled trial, implementing and measuring the impact of restorative practices in five high schools in Brooklyn, N.Y. The study, to be completed in 2020, will examine how to shift school culture and reduce the use of suspensions and expulsions, with a focus on key disparities related to race and disability. In a separate initiative, we are investigating how restorative justice can be integrated into the movement to end gender-based violence.

The Center is committed to sharing its lessons learned about restorative justice with communities around the world.

PBS NewsHour profiles the work of our Restorative Justice in Schools program.

Initiatives

Peacemaking Program

Building on a traditional Native American approach to justice, the Center’s peacemaking programs focus on healing and community restoration rather than punishment.
Restorative Justice in Schools

We've implemented restorative justice programs in five New York City high schools aimed at strengthening relationships school-wide.

Publications & Digital Media

Publication
A National Portrait of Restorative Approaches to Intimate Partner Violence

by Amanda Cissner, Erika Sasson, Rebecca Thomforde Hauser, Hillary Packer, Joan Pennell, Emily L. Smith, Sarah Desmarais, and Gale Burford

Based on a national survey and five in-depth case studies, this study seeks to document how restorative approaches are being applied to intimate partner violence across the country. It concludes with a series of guiding principles and recommendations for the field.

Domestic Violence, Restorative Justice
Publication
School Discipline, Safety, and Climate: A Comprehensive Study in New York City

by Lama Hassoun Ayoub, Elise Jensen, Talia Sandwick, Dana Kralstein, Josephine Hahn, and Elise White

In our study of more than 800 New York City schools, students who were suspended were more likely to incur other negative consequences, including poor academic performance, dropout, and arrest. Suspensions were also disparately applied, influenced by factors such as race, disability, and economic status. Schools with a better overall climate tended to use suspensions more sparingly, and we found positive approaches, such as restorative justice, could greatly improve outcomes for students and school climate alike.

Addressing Racial Disparities, Restorative Justice, Youth Programs
Video
John Jay College Honors Judge Calabrese

Honoring Judge Alex Calabrese as a "fierce advocate for justice," John Jay College of Criminal Justice awarded the presiding judge of our Red Hook Community Justice Center an honorary degree alongside the class of 2019. Featured at the May commencement, this short film highlights Calabrese's transformational leadership in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and how an emphasis on healing can advance a more humane and effective justice system.

Problem-Solving Justice, Restorative Justice, Community Justice

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News

The judge, jury and lawyers are kids. But punishments are real

November 18, 2019
NJ.com

Welcome to Newark Youth Court, where a jury of your peers is just that.
The Courtroom of the Future Practices Restorative Justice

September 10, 2019
NationSwell

A profile of the peacemaking program at our Red Hook Community Justice Center, where storytelling moves justice "towards reconciliation and rehabilitation." Sessions led by trained facilitators bring together everyone involved in a case, offering them a chance to apologize and a chance to forgive.
Why We Need to Rethink Misdemeanor Justice

March 12, 2019
Governing

We all want safe neighborhoods, argues our Greg Berman in this op-ed, but the way we treat many people arrested for low-level offenses does more harm than good. Berman offers New York City as a potential model for other jurisdictions looking to reform low-level justice.

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