Training Videos
Objective
Dive into the history of our justice system, and reflect on alternative justice systems.
Definition
Restorative Justice: the system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.
The Skeptical Friend's Opinions
Putting people in jail is the only way to neutralize them.
Criminals are hopeless, and trying to involve them in a healing process will be a waste of time and money—especially because very few victims will engage with their persecutors.
Prison works, and some people deserve it.
Animation
We now recommend that you return to the top of the lesson and watch the video before continuing with the analysis below.
Analysis
Reflect: Describe the video’s main point and provide answers to the Skeptical Friend's opinions.
Brainstorm: Apply your new understandings about justice to a real-world situation. Which memories or thoughts came to mind as you watched the video? Reflecting on your own experiences in your own community, raise a question that challenges the message of the animation. Then, attempt to respond to that question from a New Story perspective.
Prepare: Make a list of strategies to remind yourself how to deal with conflict in a restorative manner. If you're a parent, you may want to think of the ways you can resolve conflict(s) with your child(ren). Name specific situations in which you struggle, if you would like.
Practice: Next time someone does or says something that you find hurtful, spend some time with yourself or a dear friend reflecting on what need prompted the harmful behavior (a need to feel validated, a need to feel heard, etc.) instead of seeking revenge or nurturing grudge about the person. Imagine and/or practice with your friend a conversation with the person who hurt you, telling them how you felt and why their words/actions hurt you, and what you would like them to do to repair the harm. After this, try to have a conversation with the person who hurt you, remembering to be kind to yourself if the conversation does not go as planned (it probably won’t). Try staying open to hearing the other person’s perspective and practice deep listening. Also try staying aware of your needs in the conversation—if it gets too heated and you need a break, don’t hesitate to voice it.
Invitation to Action
One powerful way to repair relationships in your life is Nonviolent Communication. This set of practices hones social, emotional, cognitive, and verbal skills foundational to bringing about restorative justice and social change in your community.
Help dismantle the retributive system. Research the names of companies that use prison labor to produce what they sell. Make a vow not to buy their products.
Research the jails in your county and find out if any organizations bring restorative workshops to them. If none of them do, you could get in touch with trauma-healing organizations and see if they would be willing to engage in conversations with prison authorities on bringing their work to prisoners.
Want to learn more on this topic? See the Restorative Justice section in the course Library.