News & Announcements
IIRP Founder Ted Wachtel argues that the strategies and philosophy of restorative practices – as applied in justice and schools, families and communities – can spark and unite a movement toward a more just, democratic and participatory society.
As restorative practices gains a foothold in the fields of justice, education, social work and organizational management, practitioners and theorists seek to widen the frame to address larger societal issues, as well.
To this end, the IIRP Europe Conference, “Conflict in Europe: Meeting the Challenge,” (9-10 May 2017) will address significant issues manifesting in the current world climate, including radicalization, immigration, the disruptive impact of political movements, and sexual abuse and exploitation.
At Restoring Community: 21st World Conference colleagues from nine countries experienced rich learning about how to better serve children, youth and families and address conflict.
“The IIRP exists to provide a platform for new and innovative voices in the field of restorative practices to be heard.” —IIRP President John Bailie, Ph.D.
Click to view the list of breakout session presentations below.
Restoring Community: 21st IIRP World Conference took place October 24-26, 2016 in Bethlehem, Pa., USA. Three hundred colleagues from nine countries experienced rich learning about how to better serve children, youth and families and address conflict. They also found opportunities for crucial conversations about race and oppression. Most of all, participants left knowing that whatever their background or worldview, they all came to restorative practices out of love and a wish to connect with their fellow human beings.
Featured presenters offered crucial perspectives on the field.
Michael Gilbert, Ph.D., director of NACRJ, provided a vision for the future: “Reliance on traditional justice will fade and become the option of last resort. Community restorative justice will become the option of first choice.”
Mallary Tenore, of ivoh (Images and Voices of Hope), talked about the need for journalists to tell new kinds of stories: “Restorative Narratives show how people and communities make meaningful progress from a place of despair to a place of resilience.”
Participants also shared their impressions during the closing session.
Darrell from Florida: “I learned so much from people from different professions and nations, feeding off others' energy. We're changing paradigms.”
Janet from Grand Rapids, Michigan: “I feel filled up with new knowledge. I want to help grow people to be the best they can be.”
Thanks to all the presenters and participants who made the conference a resounding success!
Breakout Sessions
- Affectively Engaging Police and Communities When Responding to Allegations of Racial Profiling and Racial Tension — Mildred I. Duprey de Robles, Kim Milstead (powerpoint)
- A Psychological Basis for Restorative Practices: Viktor Frankl and Man’s Search For Meaning — Jan Peter Dembinski M.A., J.D. (handout)
- Urban Community Studio: Building Trust Between Communities, Schools and Schools of Education — David Fletcher, Ph.D., Tashika McBride, Ocali Catano (powerpoint)
- Healthy, Engaged and Successful – Restorative Practices in Residence Halls — Rafael Rodriguez, Patience E Whitworth, Ph.D. (powerpoint)
- PERC in Pittsburgh: Partner Relationships and Aligning Restorative Practices with District Priorities — Yasmeen Davis, Dr. Dara Ware Allen, Christine Cray (powerpoint)
- Addressing the School-to-Prison Pipeline with Practices that Promote Restorative Justice and Educational Equity — Virginia Diaz-Mendoza (powerpoint)
- Restorative Practices: Transforming School Climates from the Inside-Out — Rick Phillips (powerpoint - pdf format)
- Restorative Actions Across Borders — Vidia Negrea, M.S. (powerpoint)
- A Dynamic Blended Family: When Restorative Practice Marries Family Therapy — Anne Martin, Ph.D., Jennifer Bowen MDiv, RMFT (powerpoint)
- Circle Up: Using the Framework of Restorative Practices to Facilitate Dialogues around Diversity — Stacey Miller, Ed.D. (powerpoint)
- Restorative Practice: An Exploratory Study of Existing State Anti-Bullying Statutes — John-Robert Curtin, Ph.D. (paper)
- Restorative Responses to Campus Sexual Assault — Kaaren Williamsen, M.A., David Karp, PH.D. (powerpoint)
- The “Culture of Silence” Versus Restorative Dialogues: How to Break the Silence in the Diverse Mindsets of a Central European Society — Dr. Borbala Fellegi, Ph.D. (powerpoint)
- It Takes a Village: Engaging Community Partners to Build and Expand Your Restorative Practices Program — Megan G. Johnston, M.A. (powerpoint, handout 1, handout 2)
- Toward a Safe, Just and Equitable Society: The NACRJ Vision — Michael Gilbert, Ph.D. (powerpoint)
- Changing Mindsets: Repair Is in the Building — Rick Kelly, Daniel Entwistle, Symone Walters (video)
- The Critical Role of Youth Voice in Building a Restorative Culture — Rick Phillips (powerpoint - pdf format)
- Exploring the Intention of Restorative Practices from an Indigenous Lens — Gayle Desmeules, M.A. (powerpoint)
- Our Restorative Challenge: Discovering What Might Be Possible — Terry O’Connell (powerpoint)
- The Accountability Circle: A Restorative Dialogue Circle to Empower At-Risk Youth and Young Adults — Chad Bolla, Todd Harper (powerpoint)
- Indigenous Systems, Migration and Restorative Justice — Ali Gohar (paper, powerpoint)
- Stop the School-to-Prison Pipeline Using Restorative Practices — St Claire M. Adriaan, Tommy Ramirez (powerpoint, handout)
- Leadership Competence of Forgiveness and Reconciliation Within Restorative Justice Practices — Dr. Andrew Campbell (powerpoint, paper)
- Building Student Voice, Empowerment and Ownership in the Classroom: A Teacher Training Model — Claire Miller (powerpoint, handout)
- Making the Connection: School Climate — Dr. Pamela Emery (powerpoint)
- Restorative Practices: How One School District Stopped Suspending and Started Educating — Michelle Dean (powerpoint, handout 1, handout 2, handout 3, handout 4, handout 5, handout 6)
IIRP President Dr. John Bailie and Provost Dr. Craig Adamson published a new research article about "transformative graduate education,” plus much more.
Judges, lawyers, youth workers and others in India, with training from longtime partners of the IIRP, look at ways to make systems more restorative.
In the past few years, we have seen the inequitable, negative impact of zero-tolerance policies on African American boys, in particular. These policies, however, have had a similarly harmful impact on African American girls.
In September, Monique Morris, Ed.D., author of Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools (The New Press, 2016), participated in the White House Rethink Discipline conference. In October, Dr. Morris presented at Restoring Community: 21st IIRP World Conference in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Morris, who has been a scholar and social justice activist for over two decades, discussed the experience of African American girls in schools.
Brave New Films presents this short, animated film, which explains how restorative justice holds offenders accountable in ways that punitive criminal justice does not. Director of Common Justice Danielle Sered provided the narration.
Engagement, empowerment and resilience — concepts integral to restorative practices — are also informing the development of a new genre of media and journalism called Restorative Narrative. Images of Voices and Hope (ivoh), a nonprofit that will present at the IIRP World Conference in October, believes that Restorative Narratives can enable media to create meaningful, positive change in the world.
Restorative Works Year in Review 2025 (PDF)
All our donors are acknowledged annually in Restorative Works.