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VOICES OF DOUBT

Studies conducted in Pittsburgh and Maine have shown a different version of story:

  • Suspension rates and numbers of student arrests were similar, comparing schools that adopted restorative justice with those that didn't

  • Academic performance was even worse at schools that adopted restorative justice

  • Bullying and other school climate measures didn't see much of a difference

  • The difficulty of implementation came into light. A high level of students' buy-in is required. The training prior to actual practice and the process of organizing students in a circle for conversations are effort-consuming 

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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

  • Funding, personnel, training, and monitoring

  • 3 to 5 years' implementation process for each school

  • Alachua County pilot school—countrywide implementation

  • Cultural shift from punitive justice to restorative justice takes a top-to-bottom commitment. The public need to take time to change their mindset around the norm

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                                           by River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding,

                                  School Board of Alachua County Meeting, 2020.

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