Restorative justice is an innovative approach to thinking about, and addressing, conflict and bullying, as well as disruptive, challenging and criminal behaviour. The approach is increasingly used to transform the culture of organisations, institutions and services and the way people communicate with one another. In this book, ten practitioners describe a restorative encounter as seen through the lens of their own theoretical model. The book's unique structure is modelled on a restorative practice known as Circle Time- comprising of a Check-in, a Main Activity, and a Check-out. In the Check-in the practitioner explains how their own theoretical model informs their practice; in the Main Activity they comment on the same case studies to highlight how each theory can deepen our understanding of what might be happening and why; and in the Check-out they reflect on what they have learned from reading each other's contributions. This is a unique exemplar of how restorative theory and practice can influence how practitioners think, learn and write about restorative practice. This will be an invaluable resource for restorative practitioners working across sectors including education, social services, youth offending or policy.
Preface. Introductory Check-in. 1 Affect and Script Psychology - Restorative Practice, Biology and a Theory of Human Motivation, Marg Thorsborne. 2 Attribution Theory, Juliet Starbuck. 3 Critical Relational Theory, Dorothy Vaandering. 4 Depth Psychology and the Psychology of Conflict, Ann Shearer. 5 Nonviolent Commmunication, Shona Cameron. 6 Personal Construct Approaches, Pam Denicolo. 7 Towards a Relational Theory of Restorative Justice, Mark Vander Vennan. 8 Resonant Empathy, Pete Wallis. 9 A Social Constructionist Approach to Restorative Conferencing, Wendy Drewery. 10 Transactional Analysis, Mo Felton. 11 Different Ways to Approach a Restorative Encounter, Belinda Hopkins. Closing Check-out.
This new book is a valuable addition to the literature around restorative practice. Bringing together a range of contributors with experience of delivering restorative practice, and innovatively structured based around a restorative process, it examines restorative encounters from different perspectives and explores the ways in which successful outcomes may be achieved. Clear, accessible and interesting, this book is well worth reading for anybody interested in restorative practice.
