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What Are Restorative Practices?

Restorative practices are practices learned from the larger Restorative Justice (RJ) movement with the intent of strengthening relationships, building community, and resolving conflict. RJ is a philosophical approach that embraces the principles of inclusion, active accountability, repairing harm, and rebuilding trust. Restorative practices empower communities through collaborative and collective decision-making.

Restorative Practices for Faculty

The circle process is a facilitated dialogue through which participants share and reflect upon their experiences as they relate to a topic or issue. Participants are seated in a circle and respond sequentially to questions prompted by a facilitator or facilitators. The circle differs from traditional discussions or conversations within groups by providing each participant the opportunity to speak uninterrupted. While one person is speaking, other participants are encouraged to listen deeply. The process begins with a focus on building connections between participants before moving onto topic-driven dialogue. The process also serves to clarify context and intent related to participants' experiences and perspectives, thus avoiding the misunderstandings and assumptions that often arise in unstructured conversation.

Faculty Relations offers restorative circles to build and strengthen relationships, address conflict and harm, and support faculty reconnecting to their department/unit after an absence (such as a sabbatical or another form of extended leave). These different kinds of circles include the following:

• Community-Building Circles provide opportunities for connection with colleagues and creative thinking about unit culture.
• Department/Unit Concern Circles are for reflection on topics or events that are of concern to participants.
• Restorative Conferences provide opportunities for directly resolvi