Restorative Practices in Action: A Conference for School and Justice Practitioners

Program
The Commission and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY co-sponsored the Restorative Practices in Action: A Conference for School and Justice Practitioners at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York on May 1, 2015. Former Chief Judge of the State of New York Judith S. Kaye; Hon. Andrew Becroft, Principal Youth Court Judge for New Zealand; and Fania Davis, founder of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, were among the keynote speakers at the 300-person conference on the implementation of restorative practices. Restorative practices are a relatively new approach to youth offending in the United States that is beginning to gain ground in schools and the juvenile justice system. It is generally accomplished through cooperative dialogue that brings offenders together with victims, peers and adults to devise a plan for accountability and reparation. The goal is to address harm, holding young people accountable for their behavior through agreements enforced by the courts or school personnel.
 The Conference Program provides the agenda and short introductions for the speakers.

Journal
The Restorative Practices in Action Journal: For School and Justice Practitioners was produced from a Call for Papers that was distributed to the presenters of the Restorative Practices in Action: A Conference for School and Justice Practitioners. These experts include academics, advocates, counselors, criminal justice experts, educators, judicial leaders, juvenile justice experts, legal experts, policymakers, program managers, researchers, school leaders and social workers. These champions in restorative practices engage in promoting practices and policies of our education and justice systems that can reduce the involvement of youth in the justice system and help them succeed in school. The Journal was released at the Conference.


Presentations and Additional Resources
The presentations and additional resources for the plenaries and workshops are available and organized by the agenda.


Support
The Restorative Practices in Action: A Conference for School and Justice Practitioners was supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, the New York State Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, California Endowment, the Schott Foundation for Public Education and The Tow Foundation.


For any questions, please contact Toni Lang, tlang@nycourts.gov