What are you staring at?: A Comic About Restorative Justice in Schools

This comic teaches children about restorative justice through the story of Jake and Ryan, who are left angry and fearful after a fight. Their teacher arranges a restorative meeting to help them understand the situation and transform their negative emotions into positive ones. The comic is a valuable resource for helping children aged 8-13 understand restorative justice and prepare for a restorative meeting.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 48 pages
Publication date: 21 September 2022
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Designed for use in schools, this comic teaches children about restorative justice through the story of Jake and Ryan. After a misunderstanding between Jake and Ryan leads to a fight in the playground, both boys are left feeling angry and fearful about what might happen when they see each other again. Rather than keeping Jake and Ryan apart, their teacher arranges a restorative meeting to allow the boys to understand the situation from the other's perspective and transform their negative emotions into positive ones.

This comic is a key resource in helping children aged 8-13 to understand restorative justice and prepare for a restorative meeting. The comic also features a resource section for teachers, explaining more about restorative practices and how they can be used in schools to foster respect and emotional literacy among students.

Restorative justice is a philosophy and practice that aims to repair the harm caused by criminal behavior and promote community healing. It is based on the idea that crime is not just a violation of the law, but also a harm to the individual, the community, and the relationship between the two. Restorative justice programs typically involve a series of meetings between the victim, the offender, and other stakeholders, such as family members, community members, and school officials. The goal of these meetings is to facilitate a dialogue between the parties and to develop a plan for repairing the harm caused by the offense. Restorative justice programs can take many different forms, but they all share the common goal of promoting healing and reconciliation. Some common restorative justice practices include victim-offender reconciliation, community conferencing, and peer mediation.

Victim-offender reconciliation is a process in which the victim and the offender meet face-to-face to discuss the harm caused by the offense and to develop a plan for repairing the damage. This process can be facilitated by a trained mediator, who helps the parties to communicate effectively and to develop a plan that is acceptable to both parties. Community conferencing is a process in which a group of community members, including the victim, the offender, and other stakeholders, come together to discuss the offense and to develop a plan for repairing the harm. This process can be facilitated by a trained facilitator, who helps the parties to communicate effectively and to develop a plan that is acceptable to all parties. Peer mediation is a process in which students, who have been involved in a conflict, meet with a trained mediator to discuss the conflict and to develop a plan for resolving the conflict. This process can be facilitated by a teacher or other school staff member, who helps the students to communicate effectively and to develop a plan that is acceptable to all parties.

Restorative justice programs have been shown to have a number of benefits for both the victim and the offender. For the victim, restorative justice programs can provide a sense of closure and healing, as they allow the victim to have a voice in the process and to have a say in how the harm caused by the offense is repaired. For the offender, restorative justice programs can provide an opportunity for redemption and rehabilitation, as they allow the offender to take responsibility for their actions and to develop a plan for changing their behavior. Restorative justice programs can also have benefits for the community as a whole. By promoting healing and reconciliation, restorative justice programs can help to reduce crime and violence, and to build stronger and more resilient communities. Restorative justice programs can also have benefits for schools, as they can help to promote a safe and supportive learning environment for students. By promoting respect and emotional literacy among students, restorative justice programs can help to reduce bullying and other forms of violence and to build a sense of community among students.

In conclusion, restorative justice is a philosophy and practice that aims to repair the harm caused by criminal behavior and promote community healing. Restorative justice programs typically involve a series of meetings between the victim, the offender, and other stakeholders, and can take many different forms, such as victim-offender reconciliation, community conferencing, and peer mediation. Restorative justice programs have been shown to have a number of benefits for both the victim and the offender, as well as for the community as a whole. By promoting healing and reconciliation, restorative justice programs can help to reduce crime and violence, and to build stronger and more resilient communities. Restorative justice programs can also have benefits for schools, as they can help to promote a safe and supportive learning environment for students and to build a sense of community among students.

Weight: 142g
Dimension: 230 x 170 x 8 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839976971