Restoring Racial Justice

Social Institutions
Legal Institutions
Fania E. Davis

Fania E. Davis

Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, Oakland, California, USA

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Mikhail Lyubansky

Mikhail Lyubansky

University of Illinopis, Urbana-Champagin, Illinois, USA

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Mara Schiff

Mara Schiff

Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

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First published: 15 May 2015
Citations: 11

Abstract

Despite important overlapping interests, until recently, few racial justice advocates have embraced restorative justice (RJ), and the RJ community has largely failed to explicitly address race. Suggesting a convergence of the two movements, this essay presents an overview of RJ principles, history, and methods. We review the evidence for racial bias in criminal justice and school discipline and then note emerging restorative initiatives to ameliorate historical and contemporary racial inequities. We conclude by touching on gaps and challenges characterizing research and applied work in the field while suggesting strategies to move toward a racially-conscious restorative movement as both an effective alternative to state-imposed punishment and a powerful force for racial justice.

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