NCJ Number
224366
Journal
Journal of School Violence Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: 2008 Pages: 21-47
Date Published
2008
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effectiveness of restorative responses/approaches in holding students accountable for harmful behavior.
Abstract
The use of restorative community conferencing as an intervention encourages administrators, students, their families, and community members to view conflict as an opportunity for learning and change. Students involved in conflict are not identified as deviant or assigned labels. Restorative conferencing affirms belief in the student’s capacity to address and repair the harm he or she has caused. Through having their rights and feelings acknowledged, and experiencing the offender’s efforts to redress the harm, victims are likely to have enhanced potential of moving ahead without pressing personal safety. Through its involvement of the multiple parties affected by wrongdoing, restorative conferencing can be described as an inclusive practice concerned with social development and the creation and maintenance of safe and caring learning communities. While it is generally agreed that students responsible for misbehavior should be held accountable, the meaning of accountability and how it might best be achieved appear to remain ill-defined. This article briefly reviews theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence regarding student suspension and expulsion. Based on this review, it is argued that exclusionary interventions are unlikely to hold students accountable for their behavior and its consequences, which should be a primary objective of disciplinary responses. The article then discusses the meaning and operationalization of accountability as it can be accomplished through restorative strategies to harmful behavior. The article concludes with a description of structural changes required of education institutions in order to implement interventions that hold young people accountable for their actions and, in so doing, affect the overall culture and climate of the school. References