Cohen Introduces Restorative Justice in Schools Act

Press Release

Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today introduced legislation he authored to provide school personnel -- principals, teachers, counselors and other student support staff -- with training that would give them the skills they need to help reduce youth incarceration.

"Principals, teachers and counselors have long served as role models for our students," said Congressman Cohen. "My bill would give them the tools they need to help our children resolve their conflicts without violence, which would then help deter the school-to-prison pipeline that hurts so many communities."

Congressman Cohen's bill (H.R. 415) would allow local education agencies to use Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funding for key school personnel such as teachers and counselors to acquire training in restorative justice and conflict resolution. This training would provide them with the essential tools to address minor student conflicts and keep children out of prison.

Restorative justice is an innovative approach to conflict resolution which shows promising results throughout the country and abroad. It focuses on repairing the harm caused by crime and conflict rather than simply punishing the offender. Too often, we rely on harsh punishments, like incarceration, which prove to be expensive and counter-productive in many cases, especially when applied to juvenile offenders.

Many school systems involve the police for non-violent incidents and feed the "school-to-prison" pipeline. More importantly, it is a victim-centered process that gives the person harmed an opportunity to have a voice in the process and subsequent healing. There are many studies that show the cycle of victims becoming the aggressors when a healing process is not readily available.

Restorative justice programs can serve as a cost-effective and useful alternative. It holds juvenile offenders accountable to their victims and their community, and helps them understand the impact of their actions. It establishes a non-adversarial process that brings together offenders, their victims, and other interested parties to ask three major questions:

* What is the nature of the harm resulting from the crime?
* How should this harm be repaired?
* And who is responsible for the repair?

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