Restorative Justice:  Spring 2004

Professor Tom Russell
trussell@law.du.edu
303-871-6224

Course Readings:

Required:    Purchase this book at the bookstore:

• Daniel W. Van Ness and Karen Heetderks Strong. (2002). Restoring Justice 2d ed. Anderson, 2002.

Assignments:

Class 1.  Introduction of course (15 January 2004)

During this class meeting, Professor Russell will introduce the goals of the course and each student will introduce him/herself. 

Class 2.  Sense and Nonsense about Crime.  (22 January)

Read and prepare to discuss Walker, Sense and Nonsense about Crime and Drugs.  We will discuss the processing of criminal cases through the system of criminal justice. 

Video:  "Restoring Justice."

Field Trip Number 1  Students should plan on doing a ride-along with the Denver Police this weekend or next weekend.

Class 3.  Field Trip Number 2 (27 January)

We will take a field trip to see the Denver Courts in operation, particularly 191J.  Meet in 191J.  Entrance is at 1437 Bannock.

Class 4.  Field Trip Number 3 (5 February)

We will take a field trip to the Gilliom Youth Services Center, 2844 Downing St.

Class 5.   The Vision and Values of Restorative Justice.  (12 February)

Read and prepare to discuss Van Ness and Strong, Restoring Justice, 2d ed., pp. 1-151. 

Video:  "Beyond Just Us"

13 February--Field Trip Number 4.  Visit to the Central Denver Community Court.

19 February--No Class Meeting

Class 6.  Objections and Planning.  (26 February)

Read and prepare to discuss Van Ness and Strong, Restoring Justice, 2d ed., pp. 155-272.  Think carefully about the objections to or problems with Restorative Justice.  What are the obstacles to Restorative Justice?  How might you plan to implement restorative practices?  Where would you start? 

Class 7.   Conceptual and Practical Objections, continued.  (4 March)

One sentence description of paper topic due.

Class 8.  Restorative Justice in Schools.  (11 March)

One paragraph description of paper topic due.

Does Restorative Justice offer a partial solution to the problem of violence and lack of discipline in schools?  Video, "Restorative Justice at Boulder High."

Read and prepare to discuss Cameron and Thorsbone, "Restorative Justice and School Discipline:  Mutually Exclusive"; and Haft, "More than Zero:  The Cost of Zero Tolerance and the Case for Restorative Justice in Schools."

Class 9.  Regulation and Religion. (25 March)

Part 1:  Skim pp. 3-27 of John Braithwaite, Restorative Justice and Responsive Regulation, (2002) and read Braithwaite, Restorative Justice and Corporate Regulation.

Part 2:  Religion motivates many practitioners of Restorative Justice.  Skim and prepare to discuss, Hadley, "The Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice"; Allard and Northey, "Christianity:  The Rediscovery of Restorative Justice".

Class 10.  Murder  (1 April)

(Video:  "Meeting with a Killer.")

Outlines due this week.

See:  Concentric Journeys.

Class 11.  Sexual Offenders (8 April)

Guest Speaker:  Paul Barru.

Class 12.  First Drafts Due  (15 April)  Topic TBA.

Class 13.  (22 April).  Discussion of critiqued first drafts.

Extra Class Ideas

Prisons. 

Can Restorative Justice be brought within prisons?  Read and prepare to discuss:  Braswell et al., Corrections, Peacemaking, and Restorative Justice.  Visit Prison Fellowship International.  Additional readings TBA.

Domestic Violence

Does Restorative Justice have anything to offer?  Read and prepare to discuss:  Lazarus-Black, "Law and the Pragmatics of Inclusion:  Governing Domestic Violence in Trinidad and Tobago," Goel, "No Women at the Center:  The Use of the Canadian Sentencing Circle in Domestic Violence Cases"; and Sherman, "Domestic Violence and Restorative Justice:  Answering Key Questions." 

Additional Reading:

• Martin, "Deschutes County, Oregon:  Community Justice in Action."

• Karp, "The Offender/Community Encounter."

• Zellerer and Cannon, "Restorative Justice, Reparation, and the Southside Project."

• Russell, "Between Town and Gown:  The Rise and Fall of Restorative Justice on Boulder's University Hill."

• Gordon Bazemore and Mara Schiff. (2001). Restorative Community Justice: Repairing Harm and Transforming Communities. Anderson, 2001.
• Strang, Heather and Braithwaite, John (2000)  Restorative Justice:  From Theory to Practice.  Aldershot:  Ashgate.
• Galaway, B. and Hudson, J. (1996) Restorative Justice:  International Perspectives. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press.
• Nelsen, J. (1996) Positive Discipline. 2^nd edition.  New York:  Ballantine Books.
• Messmer, H. and Otto, H-U. (1992)  Restorative Justice on Trial. Netherlands:  Kluwer Academic Publishers.
• Sherman, Lawrence W., Strange, H. and Woods, D.J. (2000) Recidivism Patterns in the Canberra Reintegrative Shaming Experiments (RISE), Centre for Restorative Justice
• Brooks, R.L. (1999) When Sorry Isn’t Enough. New York:  New York University Press.

 and Neufeldt, "Justice in Hinduism."