The criminal justice theory known as “restorative justice” may be picking up momentum and impacting how school discipline issues are handled in the South Suburbs, according to experts and officials.

It’s a theory, as described by restorativejustice.org, that “emphasizes repairing the harm caused or revealed by criminal behavior best accomplished through cooperative processes that include all stakeholders.”

The theory has been put into practice successfully at Bloom Trail High School in Chicago Heights, officials said.

“It’s a tremendous program for us,” Bloom Township High School District 206 Supt. Glen Giannetti said.

According to Principal Ron Ray, the school has worked on the program for three years with a local non-profit called the Future Foundation.

“It’s intense,” Ray said, “but it’s well worth it because the schoolwide climate benefits.”

Ray said incidences of fights and aggressive behavior have been going down for the three years of the program’s existence.

The program is “picking up” in popularity across the South Suburbs in general though slowly said Chip Coldren, coordinator of the criminal justice program at Governors State University.

He noted the success it’s had at Bloom Trail, where he said about 90 conflict cases have been handled using restorative justice practices.

In schools, Coldren said, it’s about “bringing kids, parents and administrators into the same room,” when conflicts arise.

This way of thinking counters the traditional system that minimizes guilt and accountability for the offender and does not attend to the victim’s concerns in ways that rectify the situation, Coldren said.

At Bloom Trail, Ray said, the two main facets of the program have been “conflict mediation” and “suspension reduction.”

The mediation component, he said, involves written contracts between the victim and the offender that are designed to provide closure and has distinct plans for keeping tabs on the issue. As often as possible, he said, parents are involved in the process.

The suspension reduction program uses the mediation component, as well, with the aim of finding solutions for successfully reintegrating suspended students into school.

Ray said using restorative justice practices has reduced truancy recidivism at his school.

In what can be a difficult, complicated school climate, Ray said, restorative justice is a “proactive solution” that has “moved beyond the pilot phase” and has “become the way we do business here.”

In addition to the Bloom Trail experience, Coldren said the theory is gaining attention elsewhere in the Southland among those concerned with juvenile justice issues.

Cook County Juvenile Judge Michael Stuttley has been actively finding ways to institute these ideas with youth offenders and victims who come through his courtroom, Coldren said.

Restorative justice has also become a major part of GSU’s criminal justice curriculum.

On Oct. 3, GSU will launch the Restorative Approaches to School Safety series with a lecture by Jane Nicholson, a GSU adjunct professor and consultant on restorative justice for schools and communities. Additionally, there are two restorative justice workshops planned at GSU in January.

– David Schwab – The Star