About Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice is the practice of addressing the needs of individuals, and the greater community system that holds them, after harm has occurred. As a part of its method, Restorative Justice gives the responsible party or parties an opportunity to rectify and make amends directly to the ones harmed by their actions. The practice also provides safe space for group members to express how the harm impacted them. Through conscientious presence and support, the restorative practitioner holds this space to allow for the honest expression of deep emotion held by all members of the group. Through this practice, an affected system can rebalance itself and the community can move forward.

About Circles

Under the larger umbrella of Restorative Justice there are various forms of practice.  One of these is called Circle Keeping. While Circle Practice is not always restorative justice, as it can be used for many reasons, such as building community, celebrations, learning, it can also be used for restorative practices after harm has been done both for healing and for conflict. Planning Change specializes in training Circle Keepers in both the foundational work of circle keeping as well as the more advanced forms, specifically in regard to using circles for healing from harm, and resolving conflict in a system.