Models and Practices of Justice

3 credits · Divinity School

This course offers a critical introduction to restorative justice. It will examine the history, religious sources, values, principles and practices of the restorative justice movement. Violence and conflict are features of social life. How can we respond to these realities? Restorative Justice represents one approach worth our consideration. This course will situate restorative justice approaches within the broader field of theories of justice. It will also address the opportunities and challenges that the restorative approach to justice presents. Restorative justice approaches are used across a range of contexts , and we will examine several of these, including community development, education, and as a response to intimate violence. However, our primary focus will be in relationship to the criminal justice system. Restorative Justice has emerged as both a critique and alternative to our current system of mass incarceration, and we will examine it from that perspective. What does Restorative Justice have to contribute to our practices of punishment and response to crime? What are the ends and purposes of justice? How can we manage and repair the damage done by conflict and violence? These are the questions we will take up in this course, using Restorative Justice as the starting point for our explorations. [3]