News & Announcements
Pathways to reintegration, reconciliation, and reducing recidivism
Diverting people from further involvement in the justice system serves the goal of most professionals in the justice field: to keep people in their communities and with their families. That is the focus of the diversion program, the Restorative Reporting Centers (RRC). The RRC is supported by Community Service Foundation, a model program of the IIRP. In partnership with Bucks and Lehigh Counties, Pennsylvania, this program has been in operation for 14 years and aims to reduce recidivism by holding youth accountable for their behavior, enabling them to make positive changes in their lives, and addressing the need for community safety. As an alternative to sending youth to residential placement, this community-based program allows them to remain home with their families and in their home schools.
Change comes in many forms, the best of which are tailored to meet the specific needs of a community. Knoxville County Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee, which serves more than 60,000 students, took on the challenge of change, starting with five of their 94 schools. This commitment to change has made a tremendous impact on the dynamics of the relationships between parents and school staff, and students to their peers and teachers. The three middle schools and two high schools started their restorative practices implementation plan by first conducting a comprehensive gap analysis using systems thinking for each school. This approach to implementation is part of the IIRP’s Collaborative Application Consulting offering led by Koury Cook, Director of Organizational Development at the IIRP. Based on each school’s results, Cook developed individualized implementation plans to ensure a common thread of leadership training across all five schools.
In our collective efforts to create a more just and civil society, we sometimes forget to look back at our accomplishments. We’d like to take this opportunity to recognize practitioners and organizations that are being celebrated in their communities for the impact of their work in schools, with women and families, and in justice settings.
At Buxmont Academy, education awakens a profound change in students' lives and futures. Some students face significant challenges in traditional education settings. At Buxmont, those students have access to a lifeline. This institution goes beyond academics, offering personalized learning plans, behavioral health support, and mentorship to overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential.
Mike Azzalina, M.Ed., is an Instructor and Implementation Coach at the IIRP with extensive experience in education administration and leadership development. As a former elementary school principal and as an instructor and coach he has led teams to great success in schools across the country, developing skills with emerging leaders while honoring the knowledge of tenured leaders. He shares his reaction to a recent NPR article focusing on employee retention.
Addressing sexual and gender-based harm on campus and walking the path toward healing with students.
Marti McCaleb is Associate Vice Chancellor for Equal Opportunity and Title IX Coordinator at the University of Denver, where she is responsible for the university's response to reports of discrimination, harassment, and gender-based violence. In her role, she develops and administers policies and procedures and supervises investigations into incidents of alleged misconduct. She is actively working to build sustainable, restorative-informed practices for community building, campus engagement, and response and reconciliation in the aftermath of gender-based harm.
In September 2024 we welcomed two new faculty members to the IIRP Graduate School. Highly accomplished in their respective fields, Dr. Doug Judge and Dr. Michael A. Washington will support the expansion of our curriculum, starting with our new Graduate Certificate in Change Implementation in Organizations and Social Systems. The commitment of these two scholar-practitioners to education and leadership offers our students invaluable perspectives on complex and multifaceted topics.
The IIRP Graduate School’s Collaborative Center for Restorative Practices in Higher Education is pleased to announce the inaugural Restorative Practices in Higher Education Virtual Forum on December 5 – 6, 2024.
The forum aims to build connections and capacity for the integration of restorative practices into the field of higher education. This experience will provide an opportunity for dialogue, learning, sharing experiences, and discussion about restorative practices and restorative justice research and practice.
Look forward to engaging breakout sessions, discussions around best practices, highlights of current research, and meaningful networking opportunities! Learn more on the event website.
At the International Institute for Restorative Practices Graduate School, we see our work as “The Science of Relationships and Community.” This definition centers our efforts in proactively building connections amongst individuals where sense of belonging is the primary outcome. This belonging, in turn, becomes a contributing factor in reducing the negative data points which caused a school to explore restorative practices. Rather than seeking a new approach to discipline which often is interpreted as the removal of consequences, I like to urge all I encounter to recall the noble reasons they became an educator and reclaim the power of relationships at work to intentionally build a culture of belonging and watch the data shift itself.
Restorative justice has significantly evolved from its initial focus on repairing the harm caused by interpersonal crimes involving clearly identifiable victims and offenders. Traditionally, the "restorative idea" aimed to facilitate reconciliation and address immediate harm through face-to-face meetings. However, the field has grown into a broader social movement that addresses not only interpersonal conflicts but also structural and systemic issues. This shift reflects a deeper understanding of harm, recognizing that it often stems from broader social injustices and that many individuals who cause harm have themselves been victims, including of systemic oppression. Rather than confining its focus to individual interpersonal relations, restorative justice now includes more complex dynamics within collective, institutional, and organizational contexts, as well as interactions with nature and “more-than-human” animals, as evidenced by studies in environmental restorative justice. Contemporary restorative justice aims to challenge oppressive structures, promote social healing, and transform the societal conditions that give rise to conflict. This evolution underscores the importance of moving beyond the simple victim-offender dyad to embrace a more holistic and inclusive approach that addresses the complex realities of harm in our society.
Restorative Works Year in Review 2025 (PDF)
All our donors are acknowledged annually in Restorative Works.