Staff Picks: Restorative and Transformative Justice

"Hereth, Kaba, Meiners, and Wallace write "Restorative justice is an approach that attempts to empower communities to respond holistically to violence and harm...RJ takes into account the needs of victims, offenders, and others affected by an incident of harm working to rebuild what was lost rather than viewing punishment as a final resolution," in Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline, included in this collection (p. 246). These books contain a range of resources related to restorative and transformative justice. Particular titles provide support for educators implementing restorative justice programs in their schools. Other resources give background on criminalization and the prison system, arguing for solutions to harm that address their root causes. Schools are often complicit in criminalization, thus educators who wish to dismantle the carceral system must actively work against the school-to-prison pipeline and administrative tendencies to pathologize marginalized students. These books can serve as supportive resources for all individuals interested in adequately addressing harm and working toward a world without prisons. If you prefer electronic resources, relevant e-books are included. Having worked on various prison abolitionist projects, I have seen that there are interventions to be made in all settings to transform the way we react to conflict and harm. I hope this collection inspires others to combat criminalization in their communities and support those affected by the carceral system, to try what Mariame Kaba proposes "a million experiments."

-- Grace Handy, Library Associate



Staff Picks is curated and designed each month by the Gottesman Libraries' staff to highlight resources on educational topics and themes of special interest.

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