BLOGS
A COLLECTION OF INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS BY PRACTITIONERS
Why restorative justice schools should teach skills in shame and pride management
Valerie Braithwaite is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University (ANU). Her current research focuses on people’s relationships with authority, how trust breaks down and how it can be rebuilt in health, education and work contexts. She is co-editor (with Gale Burford and John Braithwaite) of Restorative and Responsive Human Services and co-author with Eliza Ahmed, Nathan Harris and...
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There is No Safety in Prisons and No Future in Injustice
William Wood is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University. In the last two years (2021-2023) the Queensland government has passed a host of changes in youth justice legislation and policy intended to address the rise in serious youth crime. The bulwark of these have focused on increasing the use of detention through harsher sentencing, presumption against bail, and other measures designed to...
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Restorative Practices International Urges Queensland Government to Reconsider Youth Justice Policies
Restorative Practices International (RPI) urges the Queensland Government to reconsider its recent changes to youth justice laws and policies passed in the 2023 Strengthening Community Safety Bill. Queensland already has the highest rate of youth detention in Australia, with little to show for this in terms of improved community safety or meeting the needs of young people and victims of crime. The current proposals will push...
Continue ReadingCreating Restorative Workplaces and Institutions
Charlotte Calkin – Director, Restorative Engagement Forum This month we feature a short presentation from Charlotte Calkin, Director of the Restorative Engagement Forum. Charlotte has worked in the restorative world for many years as a trainer, facilitator, and consultant and is an expert in both the fields of Restorative Justice (RJ) and Restorative Practice (RP). Her organisation, REF, works with organisations across a range of sectors...
Continue ReadingRestorative Approaches in Mental Health Settings
By Catriona Harwood, Social Worker and Restorative Practices Lead at QHVSS I have experienced restorative approaches from a variety of lenses in the UK and Australia – as a victim liaison support, as a youth justice convenor, and in my current role of coordinating a restorative approach in a secure mental health unit and community mental health team. I am passionate about the limitless possibilities of...
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The Power and Pitfalls of Perspective
How do we share our perspective as Restorative Practitioners with educators, so that they gain a clearer understanding of how Restorative Practices (RP) have the power to complement their pedagogy and promote emotional literacy within their communities? By Deb Black, Manager Restorative Services, Centre for Restorative Justice Many of us Restorative Practitioners “just get it”, the realisation that Restorative principles and how we use language to...
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Workplace Conferencing: an effective alternative to dealing with destructive leadership and incivility in the workplace
By Dr Vicki Webster For some time, I have been urging Human Resources and Organisational Development professionals to consider alternatives for addressing incivility and bad behaviour in the workplace. I have observed that a typical approach to complaints against managers, irrespective of their scale and scope, is to immediately commence with a formal investigation. This causes immense stress to all parties: the accused manager, the complainant...
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