Justice on Both Sides: Transforming Education Through Restorative Justice

by Maisha T. Winn, H. Richard Milner IV (Editor)

Restorative justice represents “a paradigm shift in the way Americans conceptualize and administer punishment,” says author Maisha T. Winn, from a focus on crime to a focus on harm, including the needs of both those who were harmed and those who caused it. Her book, Justice on Both Sides, provides an urgently needed, comprehensive account of the value of restorative justice and how contemporary schools can implement effective practices to address inequalities associated with race, class, and gender.
 
Winn, a restorative justice practitioner and scholar, draws on her extensive experience as a coach to school leaders and teachers to show how indispensable restorative justice is in understanding and addressing the educational needs of students, particularly disadvantaged youth. Justice on Both Sides makes a major contribution by demonstrating how this actually works in schools and how it can be integrated into a range of educational settings. It also emphasizes how language and labeling must be addressed in any fruitful restorative effort. Ultimately, Winn makes the case for restorative justice as a crucial answer, at least in part, to the unequal practices and opportunities in American schools.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Social Work, Race, Research

216 pages, Library Binding

Published May 22, 2018

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My team at work worked through this in the spring and I just finished it. This is a book about restorative justice and the challenges of using RJ in the school system. We have got to change the way we discipline our students and teach skills that will benefit all. This is an easy read and definitely scratches the service to restorative justice and gives some ideas of books to help conversations.

[Laura Smith Ramsborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible and necessary for all educators seeking to know more about restorative justice. I devoured this book.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great focus on the ways that restorative justice can change the experience of teachers, students and families. I especially loved the balanced look at this approach as a response to harm, a pedagogical approach and not a bandaid or panacea.

[Drick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maisha Winn is a former elementary teacher turned Restorative Justice Communicator who seeks to help schools to adopt restorative justice as a paradigm for how they conduct their school. Her paradigm involves four stances - History - know the historical context of the school and students both locally and throughout US history; Race - ask how does race and racism impact how teachers view their students; Justice - what would a school where all students experience dignity and belonging look like; and Language - How do we talk about discipline, learning and who is successful and has potential.

She then applies her paradigm to "Kennedy" High School in Madison, WI a school that had developed a restorative justice program with select students as circle keepers and a Justice Court. Only a few teachers and staff use RJ practices. She interviewed students, teachers, staff, and coaches showing how the theory and practice of restorative justice in schools still have a way to go. I appreciated the practical evidenced-based approach helping us see the challenges of applying RJ to school institutions.

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful and useful book. Useful because it explores the real-life implementation of restorative practice in schools, especially how a school resource officer can be the one to recommend its implementation, and how students can get involved in bringing it to life - especially in a school where teachers may be under-resourced or under-trained in the approach. Helps you see one of these systems in action, and how it can help and how it works, even if it's not ideally implemented.

However, also thoughtfully explores the major downsides to putting the burden of this work on students especially female students and students of color. This book introduced me to some useful concepts I hadn't yet encountered in the work - such as the idea that if the goal of restorative justice is to understand harm and to meet needs - what ownership are school districts taking for making right harm that has been done to historically marginalized groups? Discussed the concept of an "educational debt" and how there is restoration to be done not just behaviorally but also academically. (ie. separate being fundamentally unequal education, broken treaties)

[LeighAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently studying Trauma and Resilience in Education as well as Restorative Justice Practices in Education. I highly recommend this text for BOTH disciplines. Maisha Winn is writing from a real-world, current perspective. She is not "one of those speakers" who took a few classes and hasn't been in the trenches. She knows whats what, she has the experience and she has done the research.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars so I rounded up. I had to read this book for my M.Ed class. I'm glad I read it because it held some good information and got my thinking about Restorative Justice but I must say... BORING, BORING, BORING! Do I recommend this for the everyday reader? Heck no. Too boring. Do I recommend this to all educators everywhere? Absolutely. Your students deserve your having this knowledge.

[Kate Jaeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great starting point for my research into introducing restorative circles into my elementary classroom and I’m seeking further research into hour to incorporate some of the concepts discussed in the book, while adapting them for a younger group of scholars.