Restorative Justice Up Close: First-Person Accounts of an Approach That Works

The use of restorative justice is becoming more commonplace around the country. This practice brings victims together with offenders to discuss the impact of the offense, restore breaches of community, and draw up a plan for repair. Unlike proceedings in a court of law that prioritize punishment, restorative justice addresses victims’ desire for accountability, understanding, and healing.

But it is also a confidential process—rarely videotaped or accessible to those who want to know: What actually happens in a restorative justice session? Restorative Justice Up Close is the first book to relate stories of actual dialogues, in the words of participants. Affecting and direct, the book features stories from K–12 school staff about restorative circles that got to the root of misbehavior without suspensions, and from skeptical police and probation officers who learn that a facilitated dialogue can produce better outcomes than a prosecution ever could. And in stories that will make readers cry, Restorative Justice Up Close recounts meetings between survivors of violent crime and those responsible, where both parties emerge with a sense of relief and healing.

A book for educators, justice reformers, and anyone curious about a more humane approach to wrongdoing, Restorative Justice Up Close offers a compelling picture of what it truly means to “do justice.”

Sally Swarthout Wolf has more than twenty years of experience as a restorative justice practitioner, trainer, speaker, and leader. She is the former director of Ford County Probation and Court Services and the co-founder of the Illinois Balanced and Restorative Justice Project. She lives in Ford County, Illinois.