Art and Restorative Justice: Transformative Healing Through Expression 4 Favorite 

Rooted in Native American and indigenous practices,[11] restorative justice is a set of principles and practices that aims to help communities heal from conflict and harm by developing a common understanding of the root causes and effects.[12] Restorative justice can occur in a variety of different contexts: in the workplace, at schools and within, or instead of, the criminal justice system. It rests on the belief that everyone involved in conflict and harm — often categorized as those who perpetrate it and those who are the victims — deserve healing, community care, and the opportunity to grow. There are three main “pillars” associated with restorative justice — harms and needs, obligation (to put right) and engagement (of stakeholders).[13] There is no one particular way of taking part in restorative justice. Often, it can take the shape of moderated group meetings with the immediate actors as well as wider community members to talk through particular conflicts, paying close attention to everyone’s needs.

There is a growing consensus that art can be a powerful tool in restorative justice processes. This is, in part, due to the therapeutic nature of art — art, as an introspective and expressive endeavor, can encourage emotional processing and the kind of active and productive healing that restorative justice aims towards.[16] There are two main approaches: a diversionary approach, in which programs conducted by the organization serve as alternatives to incarceration, and an integrated approach, in which certain restorative justice aims are achieved through art, but within an incarceration setting.

Young New Yorkers and Project Reset are two New York-based organizations that have developed successful diversionary programs that combine art and restorative justice. Project Reset was started in 2015 by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to give teenagers who have committed nonviolent crimes such as trespassing and turnstile-jumping the opportunity to avoid criminal justice involvement. The process “begins at the point of arrest and before arraignment,”[17] when police officers inform potential participants of their eligibility for this program. The program itself consists of two counseling sessions of three-hours each, where participants may be paired with an artist. The artists then lead group activities for participants, focusing on positive self-expression. On completion of the program, the case is “declined by the local district attorney’s office, the arrest record is sealed, and the individual never sets foot in a court room.”[18] The program has a 98% completion rate, with 96% of participants recommending it to others.[19] To date, more than 1,750 people have participated in the program.[20]

Young New Yorkers, a nonprofit founded in 2012 by Rachel Barnard, is somewhat similar. Through conversations with the Honorable Judge Gubbay, and with the support of Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn Legal Aid, and the Brooklyn District Attorney, Young New Yorkers, a restorative justice and arts program, has now become a court-mandated alternative to incarceration for 16 and 17 year olds convicted of misdemeanors. Graduates of the program thereby avoid being “saddled” with the burden of a lifelong criminal record, while engaging in a workshop that allows them self-reflection and “healing from the harms of the system,” as described by Ms. Barnard.[21]