The Restorative Practices Initiative is a campus-wide collaborative effort to incorporate restorative philosophies and practices into the Boston College community.
What are restorative practices?
Restorative practices promote the creation of spaces of trust and respect, with members of the campus community coming together for difficult conversations, deep listening, and restorative dialogue around community and conflict.
What is this important?
In building a stronger community where relationships are formed and maintained, we also use the principles and practices of Restorative Justice to address the repercussions and obligations created by harm.
How does it work?
When harm or conflict arises, Restorative Justice engages participants in transformational processes that address the needs of all who are affected. These processes emphasize accountability, humanity, and community. Overall, this initiative was created to connect current restorative practices at Boston College, provide new opportunities for training and learning, build community connections, improve the campus climate, and promote self-advocacy and conflict resolution skills.
Key Tenets
Signature Program
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Restorative Practices include a spectrum of proactive and reactive approaches that have been adapted from Indigenous circle practices and are aimed at preventing and addressing conflict within communities. Proactively, they include practices that improve social connections and relationships. Reactively, they address instances of conflict or harm, by centering the needs of impacted parties. The Circle Up program equips students with the skills to successfully facilitate community building and community concern circles.
Learning Resources
Facilitators & Offices
Restorative Practice Facilitators
1. Dean of Students
2. Provost Office
3. Thea Bowman AHANA Intercultural Center
4. Residential Life
5. Institutional Diversity
6. Campus Ministry
7. Athletics
8. Vice President of Student Affairs
9. Lynch School of Education and Human Development
10. Women's Center
11. Office of Student Involvement
12. Pine Manor Institute
13. Volunteer Learning
2023 Restorative Justice Facilitators
Group photo of 2023 Restorative Justice Facilitators
History
“Sitting in circles around a fire, sharing stories, solving problems, and celebrating happiness is as old as human society. Restorative Justice is just as old.” In the Indigenous cultures from which we spring, retributive justice may have been one option for preventing future harm and keeping us all safe: knowing there were physical, emotional, or psychological punishments could at least remind us and at most frighten us into behaving as the rules required. Another ancient way for addressing wrongs was deep listening with an intent not to punish but to understand where the disconnect began and to find a way to repair the connection that had broken down. In this regard, the goal of a thriving community may have been our mutually beneficial interconnectedness. When I harm you, I harm me. I harm us. And that harm must be repaired because we need each other—we need each one of us. Today, we call that restorative justice.
Contemporary restorative practices in New England have been greatly influenced by the native peoples of this land. The Abenaki, for one, have a tradition of sitting in a circle and passing a talking piece to focus the deep listening on the speaker, hearing from the heart of both the victim and offender. Mennonite communities in Canada adopted these practices as a way to welcome home those who had served time in prison and to prevent recidivism, by offering Circles of Support and Accountability. Restorative Justice has been gradually introduced in the U.S. criminal justice system and has led to adaptation for its use in schools as well. The broader term, Restorative Practices, is not only a way to react to harm but an attempt to prevent it. Thus, roughly 80% of restorative work in the community is proactive, or “community building,” while 20% may be reactive, or focusing on harm repair. Our ancestors sat in circles to share warmth, from the fire and from each other. It gave us strength as a people. Today, our circles at Amherst aspire to provide for that same ancient yearning: to know I belong with you, we are safe and that safety makes us strong.”
The use of the “talking stick” originated in Indigenous North American customs and fulfills the important function of ensuring equal voice and respectful communication. It is passed from person to person around the circle. Only the person holding the talking piece may speak. It allows the holder to speak without interruption and allows the listeners to focus on listening and not be distracted by thinking about a response to the speaker. The use of the talking piece allows for full expression of emotions, thoughtful reflection, and an unhurried pace. It allows every participant an equal opportunity to speak and carries an implicit assumption that every participant has something important to offer the group. As it passes physically from hand to hand, the talking piece weaves a connecting thread among the members of the circle. Come by Maloney Hall 448 to decorate your own talking piece!