RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROJECT
The Restorative Justice Project (RJ Project) conducts ongoing work with community stakeholder groups to implement Restorative Justice Practices at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and in the greater Los Angeles County and Riverside County areas with K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations.
Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice Webinar
The RJ Project is pleased to announce that the RJ Project and the Catholic Mobilizing Network was invited to be part of the The Harm, Healing, & Human Dignity: Catholics in the Restorative Justice Movement, a webinar hosted by the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice, and the recording is now available:
Some of the final slides of the presentation with “Tools and Resources” are not visible on the webinar recording, so to stay connected:
- Visit the Catholic Mobilizing Network website and subscribe to their e-newsletter, Justice & Mercy Monthly, and Hope Over Death Blog.
- Visit the Restorative Justice Network of Catholic Campuses (RJNCC) website to learn about their listserv and upcoming trainings.
- Check out CMN’s faith formation guide, Harm, Healing, and Human Dignity: A Catholic Encounter with Restorative Justice (Liturgical Press, 2019).
Loyola Marymount University Partners
Recent news involves the exciting partnership with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Responsibility (OSCCR). Since 2018, the RJ Project has trained LMU staff and faculty from the OSCCR, Residential Life, School of Education, and Sorority and Fraternity Life. The training continues with participants moving on through the apprenticeship program along with attending monthly work group meetings. Starting in Spring 2019, the OSCCR has referred LMU student conduct cases including vandalism, parking and noise violations, roommate conflict, and theft for Restorative Justice Conferencing facilitation to offer a safe and structured method to address harm and hold individuals accountable.
An important component of RP implementation includes the preventive and proactive work of using Community Building and Problem-Solving circles to help bridge understanding. In partnership with Dr. Jennifer Abe and the LMU Department of Intercultural Affairs, the RJ Project conducted an orientation for Department Chairs giving participants an opportunity to engage in a facilitated problem-solving conversation that focused on building an inclusive campus climate. Likewise, The Learning Community (TLC) and Sorority Fraternity Life (SFL) staff continue to engage with students to talk about topics relevant to their members including Accountability and Drug / Alcohol Abuse. At the 2019 Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Conference held in Anaheim, CA Associate Director of Restorative Justice at OSCCR Julia Wade, Assistant Directors of SFL Larry Daves and Allison Lane, and Schoene Mahmood presented the SFL implementation work being done at LMU titled Pass the Gavel 2.0: Utilizing Restorative Practices to Enhance Peer Accountability Community-Wide.
Invited by Professor Scott Wood to present to his Literature, Law & Restorative Justice, English 3998.0 class, the RJ Project facilitated conversations with students on topics related to living on the LMU campus. In addition, the Ignatian’s Student Organization held a “Restorative Justice Week” Panel Discussion on Mass Incarceration that included the RJ Project.
Thanks to the incredible support of the Office of Student Affairs, valued partners, and all of the involved community stakeholders, the implementation of Restorative Practices at LMU has a firm footing.
K-12 School Education Partners
To implement Restorative Practices at Archdiocesan schools of Los Angeles, Executive Director Ellen Holton of the Catholic Schools Collaborative (CSC) established a partnership with the RJ Project two years ago. To date, thanks to the support from CSC, there’s been progress providing opportunities for stakeholders at 15 Parochial schools to to enhance students’ ties to their sacred beliefs. Long-time partner Riverside Unified School District (RUSD), has been diligently working to meet the RUSD Board Resolution commitment to train 2,000 teachers and administrators in Restorative Practices. To date, representatives from 27 out of 50 RUSD schools, including the counseling team, have been trained. Each training is paired with skill-building sessions to ensure the fidelity of the implementation.
To learn more about how you can get involved with Restorative Justice Practices, facilitated conversations around harm and conflict, trainings, and ongoing professional development, please contact Schoene Mahmood at schoene.mahmood@lmu.edu or (310) 338-4442.