Restorative justice circles boost students' skills

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s human services & restorative justice major recently observed Restorative Justice Week, an annual international celebration designed to raise awareness of the transformative impact of restorative justice and honor its practitioners and participants. This year’s theme was “The promise of restorative justice in a polarizing world.”

Among the training and workshops the major engaged in during the week were restorative circles and a reentry simulation.

Facilitators from Advoz, a community organization based in Lancaster that specializes in mediation, restorative practices, education and training, spent a day at the college, sharing their expertise and guiding students through restorative circles. Influenced by constructive communication, the process is a proven method for conflict resolution and healing.

“Each group had a facilitator and five participants, each playing a role of someone who willingly came into the group to share their thoughts and feelings about an issue; one was about a stolen purse, and one was a person upset about his property being messy from kids leaving trash around. Circles can be anyone who has a vested interest in the situation – parents, teachers, police, community members, etc.,” explained Sarah S. Moore, assistant professor of human services. “The idea is for the members to each have an opportunity to share their story and talk through what happened instead of just a punishment. The perpetrator doesn’t always realize the harm they may have caused to not just the victim but others, and this gives those people a chance to speak and be heard. It also gives the perpetrator a chance to share their ‘why.’ The role-plays were very powerful for our students; some were role-playing, while others just observed the role-plays. Either way, they all seemed to benefit from seeing it first-hand.”

Another powerful and impactful role-playing exercise was a reentry simulation that engaged 43 Penn College and Lycoming College students in experiencing a month in the life of individuals recently released from prison.

“My experience with the reentry simulation was truly eye opening,” shared Maddie E. Cathcart, a human services & restorative justice sophomore from Sugar Grove. “The role I got started off with no money or tokens, leading me to be behind and have to beg for money to complete any of the tasks. I learned that it is a lot more difficult than I initially thought because I didn't realize that, sometimes, people can't get jobs, transportation, food, etc. The things that are so easily accessible to me are nowhere near accessible for others. I now have more empathy for people because you never know what they are going through. I am so grateful for this experience and will highly recommend it to anyone who is curious.”

Masen A. Lane, a junior in the major from South Williamsport, also offered his perspectives: “Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at the reentry simulation. I found that some parts were definitely difficult to get done, especially early on when there were long lines for certain things that you needed. Once I got into the routine of what needed to be done, it made it a lot easier, but it didn’t help not having enough money or needing more bus tokens or just being unlucky. … I think one great takeaway from this was, it gave us the ability to see a different side of the reentry process. A lot of times, we see the side of probation in corrections, but with this, we get the opportunity to see what it’s like … for those who are being released back into society. (It) showed me how difficult life really is for those who are going through this and definitely has given me a lot more interest into this side of our major.”

Penn College offers Bachelor of Science and Associate of Applied Science degrees in human services & restorative justice.