Originally brought to attention by the tribes in New Zealand, when a youth was in trouble, rather than being hauled away to the authorities, they were brought to the "tribal circle" to talk about what happened, to have a voice and to hear what the victim has to say and to understand the effects of their actions."
Today, Julia Steiny, writer and Educational Consultant in Rhode Island, is working to help and equip all children in the state of RI with restorative practices. Thus, another fascinating concept being discussed on Lon Woodbury's radio show- Parent Choices for Struggling Teens. Specifically, This approach is diverting juvenile offenders away from the usual justice systems and provides a way for perpetrators to have a voice, while they still taking accountability and responsibility. This also can be used as an alternative to punishment. "Punishment doesn't teach- except for telling the person 'you are bad'."
Usually, teens in trouble are pretty narcissistic and often don't see or hear how their victim feels. With the use of these Restorative Practices/Restorative Justice structure in a school setting, the process of talking and clearing things up is a window into letting others know a little about you and everybody can benefit from participating. The kids love to hear something real about their teachers, the students learn to share and speak in a respectful kind manner, to listen without interrupting and communicate in an appropriate manner and if they are heard more- they listen more. "It's a way of greasing the wheels at school." In an high stress urban school, the teachers are stressed, the students are stressed, children are un-trained in social niceties, yet trained in flight or fight and it tends to be a harsh stressful environment. These kids would rather get suspended than real talking, answering questions or to open up and be honest. Restorative practices are a lot of work on the front end…but the results are impressive.
Julia's hope for the future is to equip kids and their parents on how to talk with each other restorative practices is a good way to use these practices in all areas of their lives. "I am the Restoration Evangelist and want to get the word out. It will take America a while to get over the thinking of 'nail and jail them', but I am encouraged. Other countries are way ahead of us with the use of restorative justice, in fact, the UK is on top of the use of these practices."
To listen to the full interview, go to
Restorative Practices and Mental Health on
LATalkRadio.
Also available in Podcast 
Lon Woodbury is the owner/founder of Woodbury Reports, Inc. and
www.strugglingteens.com. He has worked with families and struggling teens since 1984 and is the host of Parent Choices for Struggling Teens.
Julia Steiny is a writer and Educational Consultant who has been working on kid's issues for over 20 years and currently the founding director of the Youth Restoration Project, a community building initiative, grounded in restorative practices. Julia is also a key note speaker and has been awarded several awards for her work with children and their families.
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