Revisiting restorative justice: exploring restorative justice and its practices in the further education sector

Literature and research on restorative justice (RJ) highlight a lack of clarity and understanding of what RJ is, its role, and the outcome of the process. A plethora of available literature on RJ, and a pool of definitions, theories and values contribute to the misunderstanding of this perplexing and complex concept. In education, researchers have observed that institutions regularly deal with crime and conflicts, where students are victims and perpetrators of violence, anti-social behaviour and bullying. To create a safer environment and assist the perpetrator in reflecting on the impact of their behaviour, RJ practices are adopted in some institutions to better manage and deal with such issues. The research focus on RJ in the UK is predominantly in primary and secondary schools; however, research is limited and underdeveloped in the Further Education (FE) sector.
This research explored staff and students understanding and experiences of RJ practices and processes; and staff experiences of constraints, limitations, and opportunities for successful RJ policy implementation. An interpretivist exploratory case study design framework and mixed qualitative methods were adopted. This research found a consensus on how staff understood RJ, barriers to successful implementation, and factors that supported effective implementation in the FE sector. Findings indicate that RJ policy is interrupted or reversed due to mergers or changes in Senior Leadership Teams. Both top-down and bottom-up approaches to implementation are pivotal, and teaching staff feel that a surge of violence in the country has brought insecurity within the college community. In effect, teachers think that they are unskilled or ill-equipped to deal with or manage challenges. Further, a lack of regular training and professional development programmes on RJ impacts staff understanding and delivery of the concept. This study provides an insight into how RJ is understood, experienced and implemented in FE; thus, findings from this research will be relevant to FE institutions, their staff, and the Department for Education (DfE).