Restorative Rhetoric: Strategies for Community Justice

Above all, restorative justice is an invitation to join in conversation so that we may support and learn from each other. It is a reminder that all of us are indeed embedded in a web of relationships.

—Howard Zehr, The Little Book of Restorative Justice (84)

Contemporary systems of justice are primarily punitive and retributive. They punish offenders, enforcing Mosaical tenets of “an eye for an eye” and methods of deterrence that assume strong punishments make would-be offenders think twice before committing crimes. Such practices perpetuate hierarchical codes that eschew context and dialogue for commandment. In schools especially, zero-tolerance policies and rigid truancy laws impose punishments such as detention and expulsion that both separate families and force students to miss even more class time. Perpetuating what is often referred to as the school-to-prison pipeline, punitive systems often remove students from the education system and force them into the criminal justice system (Juergensmeyer et al.). Whereas the social and cognitive repercussions of such oppressive justice systems are not completely known, it would do educators well to understand community processes for dialogue and justice and design classroom practices that better prepare students for addressing peace and conflict. Knowledge in rhetoric and composition gained through classroom practices provides important skills that, when paired with restorative practices, can improve interpersonal communication and, hopefully, make our communities—and the world—a more peaceful place.

Fortunately, contemporary restorative justice (RJ) practices complement and sometimes replace traditional retributive justice systems through community-based strategies for addressing and resolving conflict with dialogue and reparation. Current Western understandings of RJ are deeply rooted in Indigenous practices from around the world, practices that heavily emphasize the interconnectedness among those who have harmed and those to whom harm has been done. Restorative practices involve a trained facilitator, individuals who have caused harm (“offenders”), individuals to whom harm has been done (“victims”), and stakeholders in the form of support personnel and community members.

Popular RJ processes include various dialogue-based interactions that take the form of practices like classroom and restorative circles, community conferences, and victim offender dialogues (VODs). Both classroom and restorative circles are facilitated conversations where victims and offenders share a decentered communal space in which one or more facilitators create opportunities for both developing conflict resolution skills and resolving conflicts. Focusing on a meaningful centerpiece and sharing a talking piece that encourages contribution, participants voluntarily add to a communal understanding of a simple daily quotation or more complex local conflict (Cavanaugh). Similarly, conferences and dialogues create a safe space for participants to acknowledge accountability and address each other’s needs. Relying heavily on one-on-one pre-conference conversations with trained facilitators, conferences and dialogues model effective ways for community members to work together to repair harm and, in some cases, heal relationships (Umbreit; Zehr).

Successful RJ dialogues also rely on dispute resolution strategies practiced during negotiations and mediations. Whereas these ideas, especially the term “mediation,” usually appear in writing studies as monological, Vygotskian ways of moving through different zones of proximal development, the following application of mediation specifically addresses the dispute resolution strategy where a neutral third party facilitates a dialogue among disputing parties. In doing so, it hopes to illuminate practical connections between the fields of composition and dispute resolution, exploring possibilities for further building peaceful societies in our classrooms and communities.

As a community RJ practitioner, I am fortunate enough to work with a variety of local organizations, including the District Attorney’s Office, the County Probation Office, local educators, a community hospital, and a social-justice-oriented youth services organization.¹ My work involves mediating disputes, facilitating dialogues, providing trainings, and advocating for RJ in schools and community settings. These experiences unite me with my community, allowing me to see firsthand how individuals struggle to communicate and find connections. Moreover, as a writing teacher, I am fortunate enough to be able to teach college students strategies for improving communication skills that can improve our communities. The classroom helps me stay current with developments in writing pedagogy and energizes me with students’ passions for creating change. Reflecting on both experiences...