Restorative Justice (An. Harr*s, M. Frampt*n)

In this seminar we will explore both the theory and the practice of restorative justice, an alternative approach to the retributive justice model of our present criminal law system, and will engage in field work in the Alameda County courts and at the Oakland Tribune.

By focusing on a healing and restorative approach to crime that includes community involvement, offender accountability, and victim participation, this new paradigm provides a different lens through which to view the criminal justice system. Because its goal is restoration, the restorative justice model emphasizes alternatives to incarceration and fosters re-integration of the offender into society. The course will discuss the philosophy and history of restorative justice, the use of restorative justice models in other countries and cultures, the application of restorative justice principles to both juvenile and adult offenders in the United States, the use of restorative justice techniques in educational and domestic settings when violence occurs, and reparations movements in South Africa and the United States.

Students will have several opportunities for field work as well. They may choose to work with faculty and students at the Graduate School of Journalism on a new media violence reporting project at the Oakland Tribune that will fundamentally change the way in which crime is reported. They may elect to work directly with Alameda County judges to apply restorative justice principles to actual cases. Alternatively, they can work on restorative justice case studies of their own choosing with the approval of the instructor.