Restorative Justice in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature

This chapter reviews the research on restorative justice in higher education. It begins with a brief review of restorative justice in criminal justice and K–12 education and its origins in higher education. It then summarizes various applications of restorative justice across student and academic affairs. It reviews the literature, including more than 140 articles, book chapters, and books, sharing what we know about campus implementation, and offers suggestions for future research. Primarily, research on restorative justice in higher education focuses on the philosophy and practice of restorative approaches to student misconduct, with a small number of empirical studies demonstrating its effectiveness. Responses to campus sexual harm have received the most attention. Studies also have explored applications of restorative justice for faculty misconduct, diversity/equity/inclusion/belonging, community building in residential life and orientation, faculty teaching about restorative justice as a subject, and restorative practice as classroom pedagogy.