Defining restorative justice: a perspective from England and Wales’s further education sector

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite the lack of clarity in the literature in understanding restorative justice, scholars argue that it is rich and diverse in its meaning and application. However, a gap exists between theory and practice, and since ‘practice without theory is blind, and theory without practice is meaningless’ (Morrison, 2015, p. 449), a definition of restorative justice is essential, especially as the concept has now been adopted in other sectors such as education. This study defines restorative justice practices for institutions in the UK’s further education sector to guide them and their practices. As these institutions regularly deal with behavioural challenges in education, they have adopted restorative justice practices to better manage and deal with such situations and to create a safer environment and help the perpetrator reflect on the impact of their behaviour. In the UK, research on restorative justice in education focuses on primary and secondary schools, but is limited and underdeveloped in the further education sector. Based on data collected over 14 months, this study explores how the staff at these institutions explain restorative justice practices and purposes and finds a consensus based on these explanations.