Restorative and Transformative Justice in Action: Building a Path Toward Abolition

In October, the Black Lives Matter at School focus is on the principle of Restorative and Transformative Justice. This principle is a guiding light, especially as we approach our “Abolition Day,” part of our Year of Purpose. Restorative and Transformative Justice calls us to build spaces where we can make mistakes, heal, and evolve together, all while striving to dismantle punitive systems and create a more nurturing, inclusive world.
 
The need for change is urgent. Black youth are dramatically disproportionately suspended and expelled from schools, a trend that escalated with the spread of so-called zero-tolerance policies—policies modeled on the racist “war on drugs.” As Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, points out, 
 
Many people imagine that zero tolerance rhetoric emerged within the school environment, but it’s not true. In fact, the Advancement Project published a report showing that one of the earliest examples of zero tolerance language in school discipline manuals was a cut-and-paste job from a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration manual.
 
These policies, instead of making schools safer, have criminalized students—particularly Black students—and mirrored broader systems of racial injustice.
 
The statistics are staggering: Black students are suspended at four times the rate of white students nationally. And as Monique Couvson (formerly Morris) reveals in her book Pushout, Black girls are the most disproportionately suspended at six times the rate of white girls. Although Black girls make up only sixteen percent of the female student population, they account for nearly one-third of all girls referred to law enforcement and more than one-third of all female school-based arrests. These numbers show that our current systems of school discipline are failing Black youth and urgently need to be transformed.
 
When we talk about restorative justice, we mean more than just addressing harm; we aim to foster a culture that bonds us together through empathy and collective growth. Transformative justice takes this a step further by challenging the systems that perpetuate harm in the first place, seeking to reshape our environments to prioritize healing over punishment. This is what it means to live in a “beloved community”—one where we not only work through conflicts but also reimagine the structures that lead to conflict.
 
Unfortunately, some schools have implemented restorative justice in a way that is more performative than transformative. These schools may claim to practice restorative justice by limiting suspensions or hiring an additional counselor, yet fail to address the deeper needs of students. True restorative justice requires a genuine investment of resources, including comprehensive professional development for all educators so they can effectively use practices like peace circles and culturally relevant social-emotional learning proactively—before conflicts arise. It also means hiring a dedicated restorative justice counselor that can help with trainings and coordinate efforts across the building. As well, it requires creating school policies and curriculum rooted in social justice, so that when harm is caused there is justice to restore.
 
Howard Zehr, a professor of restorative justice at Eastern Mennonite University, explains that traditional punitive approaches—known as retributive justice—focus on these questions:

• What rule has been broken?
• Who is to blame?
• What punishment do they deserve?

 
The BLM at School movement calls for funding and implementing restorative justice practices to replace these retributive, zero-tolerance approaches. Restorative practices aren’t just reactive; they proactively build relationships and strengthen community bonds. Examples include peace circles for classroom discussions, peer mediation, community conferencing, trauma-informed teaching, and social-emotional learning. These practices shift the focus from punishment to healing and understanding, creating environments where students can feel safe and supported.
 
In contrast to retributive justice, a restorative justice approach, as Zehr describes, asks:

• Who has been hurt, and what are their needs?
• Who is obligated to address these needs?
• Who has a stake in the situation, and how can we involve them in making things right and preventing future occurrences?

 
By asking these questions, we can create nurturing communities instead of reacting to disruptions with punishment. Additionally, many antiracist movements in education are embracing transformative justice. A transformative approach, also outlined by Zehr, asks more fundamental questions:

• What social circumstances produced the harmful behavior?
• What structures are connected to this harm, and how can we address them?
• What preventive measures could be implemented to avoid future harm?

 
Restorative and Transformative Justice push us to look beyond individual actions and hold our systems accountable. In reimagining discipline, we move toward a future where Abolition Day is not just a symbolic event but a step toward abolishing harmful systems and replacing them with those that honor the fullness of our humanity.

Jesse Hagopian
National BLMAS Steering Committee Member