School discipline is an extremely important issue facing the education community today. However, the conventional punitive disciplinary responses fail to address the causes or contexts that shape the disciplinary violations. In fact, negative collateral effects of punitive school discipline can further isolate students from the school community and the relationships that support positive behavior.
The benefits of a restorative justice model of discipline nevertheless far outweigh its costs. Evidence suggests that restorative justice would in fact lower the multiple costs of maintaining the current punitive system of addressing misconduct in schools. By taking into account the costs of harm to the broader school community, restorative justice provides an opportunity to address victims’ needs and to reinforce strong positive social values.