Prof. Mary Louise Frampton of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at University of California, Berkeley, School of Law discusses an experimental restorative justice program in a West Oakland, California, middle school. Based on her and her colleagues' evaluation, the program was successful in reducing student suspensions and expulsions for bad behavior and transforming the school culture from punishment-based to problem-solving. As a result, The Oakland Unified School District has adopted restorative justice policies in many of its schools.
Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth
Sumner, M. D., C.J. Silverman & M.L. Frampton (2010). School-based restorative justice as an alternative to zero-tolerance policies: Lessons from West Oakland. Berkeley, CA: Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. http://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/11-2010_School-based_Restorative_Justice_As_an_Alternative_to_Zero-Tolerance_Policies.pdf