Objectives
This curriculum unit focuses on the justification for implementing restorative justice peace circles in American schools. It will also share research and evidence that demonstrates how the vicious cycle of the school to prison pipeline is damaging our cultural foundation. What positions restorative justice peace circles apart from typical punitive methods is that restorative justice does not view crime as an act against the state, but rather “as an act against individuals and their community”. This distinction is why restorative justice asks different questions such as “what happened?,” “whose obligations are these?,” and “what needs to be done to right the wrongs?” These questions focus on the needs of the victims and offenders. Along these same lines, restorative justice is “grounded in the belief that those most affected by crime should have the opportunity to become actively involved in resolving the conflict. The ACLU is committed to challenging the “school-to-prison pipeline,” which it calls a disturbing national trend “where” children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.” Many of these children have learning disabilities or histories of poverty, abuse, or neglect, and would benefit from additional educational and counseling services. Instead they are isolated, punished and pushed out.
Michelle Alexander expresses in her book, “The New Jim Crow,” that once you’re considered a criminal and arrested, you are considered a felon and branded with this stigma for life. The term “felon” is stamped on the job, school and apartment applications, forms for welfare benefits, and petitions for licenses. Being labeled a criminal authorizes discrimination across all aspects of life in American society. This mindset also applies in school settings across this country. Once a student is labeled “misbehaving” this stigma can remain with the student for their entire academic career especially if educators pass this judgment on verbally or in writing. Expectations are also lowered for this student. It is truly a disservice to any child. I’m proposing that if Restorative peace circles are used for a student in first or second grade perhaps, they would have a clearer understanding of how their actions are negatively impacting them socially and academically. Hopefully, they would take accountability for their actions and demonstrate growth by the time they are promoted to the intermediate grades. It would truly disrupt the tendency of constant punitive measures to place these students in the school-to-prison pipeline and enhance their chances of becoming a productive, gratified and liberated citizen.
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