Restorative Practices: Righting the Wrongs of Exclusionary School Discipline

The purpose of this article is to explain the pressing need for school-based restorative justice as a philosophy and mechanism to alter increasingly negative school climates, redress educators\u27 retributive orientation to student behavior, and redirect the school-to-prison pipeline. Part I discusses the manifestations ofthe current crisis in education. Although zero tolerance was intended to increase school safety, recent studies attest to the severe iatrogenic consequences including high rates of in-school and out-of-school suspensions, ever-increasing racial disparities in the use of punishment, the misuse of harsh disciplinary procedures with traumatized youth, and growing evidence of educator dropout that parallels the failure of students to complete school. Part II provides background on school-based restorative justice. Besides defining the concept of restorative justice, this part focuses on its application to education, the constituents of a whole school approach, and the rapid growth that is occurring throughout the United States. Part III examines the evidence for this approach. Although the use of school-based restorative justice is still in its infancy, numerous studies attest to dramatic reductions in suspensions, increased school attendance, improved academic achievement, lower student drop out rates, financial savings, and decreases in racial disproportionality. Part IV explores the rapid and emerging legislative and institutional response to school-based restorative justice that threatens to upend a process that requires time and precision in implementing a complex, contextualized, and nuanced shift in how educators approach student behavior. In response, efforts to take school-based restorative practices to scale in Texas are described followed by a list of Thirteen Best Practices that provide a values-based guide to whole school implementation. Part V is a call to action that positions social-based restorative justice as an antidote to the fallout from exclusionary punitive practices and a mechanism to enhance those school controlled factors that influence school climate. This part also highlights the likelihood of backlash if implementation of the restorative approach is too rapid or applied without careful consideration to the change process. It concludes with recommendations for how the legal profession can support the successful adoption of school-based restorative justice

Restorative Justice and Dialogue: Impact, Opportunities, and Challenges in the Global Community

The Article focuses on the Community of Veterans Engaged in Restoration (COVER) restorative justice program offered by the Sheriff\u27s Department of San Francisco, California. Information is provided on how the program aims to prevent crimes by U.S. veterans, focuses on offender accountability, and promotes community involvement

Assessing the Impact of the Ultimate Penal Sanction on Homicide Survivors: A Two State Comparison

Numerous studies have examined the psychological sequelae that result from the murder of a loved one. Except for the death penalty, however, sparse attention has been paid to the impact of the murderer’s sentence on homicide survivors’ well-being. Given the steadfastness of the public’s opinion that the death penalty brings satisfaction and closure to survivors, it is surprising that there has been no systematic inquiry directly with survivors about whether obtaining the ultimate punishment affects their healing. This Study used in-person interviews with a randomly selected sample of survivors from four time periods to examine the totality of the ultimate penal sanction (UPS) process and its longitudinal impact on their lives. Moreover, it assessed the differential effect of two types of UPS by comparing survivors’ experiences in Texas, a death penalty state, and Minnesota, a life without the possibility of parole (LWOP) state. Comparing states highlights differences primarily during the postconviction stage, specifically with respect to the appeals process and in regard to survivor well-being. In Minnesota, survivors of adjudicated cases show higher levels of physical, psychological, and behavioral health. This Study’s findings have implications for trial strategy and policy development

Finding A Place in the World: The Experience of Recovery from Severe Mental Illness

This hermeneutic phenomenological study of 45 adults with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) examines the experience of recovery over 3 years. After a brief review of the results from the first two phases, this article reports the findings from the third phase of the recovery process. Five essential themes are identified: (1) reintegration in the community; (2) reintegration with family and friends; (3) reintegration with the case manager; (4) reintegration with oneself; (5) barriers to social inclusion. Findings highlight the unmet needs for consumers in their relationships with case managers and barriers to inclusion at the macro level. Implications for practice include the delineation of client and case manager tasks specific to each essential theme

Policy Recommendations for Meeting the Grand Challenge to Achieve Equal Opportunity and Justice

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs

The impact of financial incentives on the implementation of asthma or diabetes self-management: A systematic review

Introduction: Financial incentives are utilised in healthcare systems in a number of countries to improve quality of care delivered to patients by rewarding practices or practitioners for achieving set targets. Objectives: To systematically review the evidence investigating the impact of financial incentives for implementation of supported self-management on quality of care including: organisational process outcomes, individual behavioural outcomes, and health outcomes for individuals with asthma or diabetes; both conditions with an extensive evidence base for self-management. Methods: We followed Cochrane methodology, using a PICOS search strategy to search eight databases in November 2015 (updated May 2017) including a broad range of implementation methodologies. Studies were weighted by robustness of methodology, number of participants and the quality score. We used narrative synthesis due to heterogeneity of studies. Results: We identified 2,541 articles; 12 met our inclusion criteria. The articles were from the US (n = 7), UK (n = 4) and Canada (n = 1). Measured outcomes were HbA1c tests undertaken and/or the level achieved (n = 10), written action plans for asthma (n = 1) and hospital/emergency department visits (n = 1). Three of the studies were part of a larger incentive scheme including many conditions; one focused on asthma; eight focussed on diabetes. In asthma, the proportion receiving ‘perfect care’ (including providing a written action plan) increased from 4% to 88% in one study, and there were fewer hospitalisations/emergency department visits in another study. Across the diabetes studies, quality-of-care/GP performance scores improved in three, were unchanged in six and deteriorated in one. Conclusions: Results for the impact of financial incentives for the implementation of self-management were mixed. The evidence in diabetes suggests no consistent impact on diabetic control. There was evidence from a single study of improved process and health outcomes in asthma. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and understand the process by which financial incentives may impact (or not) on care

Recovery from Severe Mental Illness: The Initial Phase of Treatment.

Purpose: This hermeneutic phenomenological study examined the lived experience of persons recovering from serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI). The study reports results from the first six months of treatment and is part of a two-year longitudinal study. Method: Forty-four adults with SPMI referred to county case management services were recruited for the study. A semi-structured interview was conducted for 1-2 hours to elicit client narratives of their experience in recovery. The interviews were transcribed, read, and coded to cluster thematic aspects in each case and across cases. Atlas-t was used to recode transcripts and retrieve quotes to dimensionalize each essential theme. Transcripts were reread for confirming and disconfirming evidence for each theme. Results: Five themes were identified: 1) “life is happening around me” 2) striving for independence 3)“being in there with me” 4) pacing recovery and creating optimal challenge 5) the wish for meaningful community participation. Implications for Practice: Findings delineate critical factors in early stage recovery as identified by persons with SPMI. They highlight the need for clients to be an active collaborator in determining areas of therapeutic attention and emphasize the importance of relational factors in developing experiences of mastery and a more functional sense of self. Obstacles described by clients in early phase recovery provide new insight and meaning into problems of motivation and non-compliance in treatment. Findings suggest important areas for staff training and advocacy services