*Note* This scheduling program was not designed by folks who do a lot with APA Style and unfortunately it defaults to listing authors in alphabetical order. We cannot fix this for this online schedule, but the author orders are posted in the order submitted in the printed program available via pdf here.
This paper will examine the ongoing process of implementing restorative justice at Holy Names University in Oakland. Our presentation looks at this process from an academic perspective and a disciplinary perspective. Highlighting the voices of two female faculty members representing the Criminology and Philosophy departments, respectively, the Dean of Student Development and Engagement, and a graduate student whose masters thesis is on implementing restorative justice in residence life, this paper seeks to understand how feminism and justice complement each other within an urban university setting founded and run by Catholic nuns. The study examines if and how restorative justice aligns with current justice trends within Oakland and ways in which criminology students might benefit from restorative justice training. It will also consider how restorative justice can be employed in a diverse student body with differing levels of justice comprehension. We will look at the communal benefits and shortcomings of implementing a restorative justice judicial framework within the university overall and how we might extend the model into classrooms as well as boardrooms. Lastly, this panel will highlight blind spots of the RJ movement at this level of education and what future trajectories of restorative justice in post-secondary education might look like. Faculty members will build upon the work of current criminology students whose recent deconstruction of justice programs in the Bay Area has led to compelling questions around agency, silencing, and healing. Additionally, presenters will discuss how the transition from strictly punitive practices towards restorative justice models within the university student conduct system connects to ever-evolving “campus culture” and a growing need to both serve as well as thoughtfully engage a dynamic student population. Building off of recent student research and case studies, our presentation seeks to envision a sustainable university system in line with restorative justice principles and practices.
