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Rhythmic Roots Revolution

Restorative Justice

As an addendum to our programs, Rhythmic Roots Revolution offers restorative justice reentry and planning circles to students soon leaving long-term incarceration.

Restorative Justice practices and principles have their roots in indigenous cultures worldwide where they recognize that offenders will remain in or return to their communities and therefore need a healing process that offers restitution to those harmed, keeps communities safe, and provides opportunity for the perpetrator to repair their integrity. Rhythmic Roots Revolution Reentry and Transition Planning Circles follow the model created by Lorenn Walker and Rebecca Greening of Hawaii Friends of Restorative Justice.

First, the process helps incarcerated persons prepare a thorough written plan addressing reconciliation and establishing a support system for a successful return to the community.  Second, circles offer loved ones the opportunity to find ways the incarcerated person may work to repair harms caused to others.  The Walker & Greening, Huikahi model includes detailed practical formula to deliver circles along with instruments to measure their validity and outcomes.

Huikahi Circle Authors, Lauren Walker and Rebecca Greening on Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice considers and works to address the needs of people hurt by crime, the people who committed the crimes, and the community (Zehr, 2002). While the modern restorative justice movement began in the 1970s, some believe that “restorative justice has been the dominant model of criminal justice throughout most of human history for perhaps all the worldʻs peoples” (Braithwaite, 2002; Zehr, 2002).  Although restorative justice in Europe was largely abandoned at the time of the Norman Conquest (Van Ness, 1986), many indigenous cultures worldwide never stopped using it (Braithwaite, 2002; Zehr, 2002).  A general goal of restorative justice is to create opportunities for reconciliation between people who accept accountability for their wrongdoings and those affected by their behavior, which is not always possible.  Restorative practices may be applied across a range of situations with different types of participants (Zehr, 2002; McCold & Wachtel, 2002; Walker, 2004). Restorative practices can address the unique needs of each individual including their emotional needs.  These needs are largely ignored by the criminal justice system and are “subtly..suppressed, inhibited, and distorted” by prisons (Zimbardo, 2008, p. 221).

Families and friends of people who have committed crimes and are incarcerated, have been harmed by their loved one’s behavior and their imprisonment.  Often they suffer directly, but always they suffer indirectly.  Children of incarcerated parents especially suffer hardship (Hairston, 2007). A restorative intervention, like these circles, can provide important benefits without the participation of the unrelated crime victims.

Restorative justice approaches are evidence-based practices that have been researched and shown to reduce most types of repeat crime (Sherman & Strang, 2007).  Additionally, restorative justice brings more healing to people hurt by crime than traditional court and prison practices.  Today there is a growing movement to use restorative practices in re-entry for incarcerated people returning to the community (Bazemore & Maruna, 2009; Walker, Sakai, & Brady, 2008).

Phil Zimbardo on the Huikahi Restorative Circles Model

Critically missing from virtually all corrections systems around our nation are programs that effectively prepare incarcerated people released from prison directly, being paroled, and those coming out of residential substance abuse programs, to reenter society and transition back as responsible citizens. That is why I am so enthusiastic about this new work book that uses a dynamic strategy based on public health, social psychology, mentoring, restorative justice, solution-focused brief therapy, etc., in creating community Circles to enable such vital transitions to work for the target individuals, their social support members, as well as the prison community.

Lauren Walker and Rebecca Greening have combined their long experience in the corrections arena with big picture wisdom and a fine-grained tactical focus in designing these “planning circles for incarcerated people.” … I endorse the widest possible utilization of this program, and the application of these wise principles to empower formerly imprisoned people to take charge of their lives with the help of family, friends, and prison staff.site by double clicking on a text box on your website. Alternatively, when you select a text box

Benefits of Restorative Justice