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The Little Book of Restorative Justice for Campus Sexual Harms: A Holistic Approach to Address Sexual Misconduct and Relationship Violence for Colleges and Universities (Justice and Peacebuilding)

The Little Book of Restorative Justice for Campus Sexual Harms: A Holistic Approach to Address Sexual Misconduct and Relationship Violence for Colleges and Universities (Justice and Peacebuilding)

Rachel Roth Sawatzky, Mikayla W-C McCray
$8.39
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Publisher:
Good Books
ISBN:
9781680999174
Pages:
120
Available for Preorder

Description

A restorative justice approach to addressing sexual misconduct in colleges and universities.

Written for college and university practitioners and administrators, The Little Book of Restorative Justice for Campus Sexual Harms combines explanation, justification, and contextualization for the application of restorative justice for sexual misconduct, including for alleged Title IX violations. This book outlines considerations, action steps, and best practices for campuses who are interested in exploring the successful implementation of RJ for sexual misconduct. The opening chapter explores the “why,” while the final chapter examines the “how” of RJ for sexual harms and Title IX for college and university campuses. The authors' backgrounds as practitioners within the higher education context grounds this work with personal reflections, experiences, and stories. 

The 2020 passage of the Final Rule of Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 redesigned the law, ceding extensive authority to individual educational institutions to customize their approach to Title IX compliance. While some argue that the Final Rule may leave students less safe, there are now emergent opportunities, as federal Title IX regulations have also made allowances for the augmentation of investigative/adjudicatory Title IX processes with additional “informal” resolution options. These options can be designed to more specifically and appropriately address the harms, meet the needs, and attend to resultant obligations for those involved in situations of campus sexual misconduct.

This book provides a primer for colleges and universities who seek to move campus culture in a more restorative direction generally, and specifically for practitioners interested in exploring the possibility of amending existing sexual misconduct policies, including investigative/ adjudicatory Title IX policy and procedures, through a restorative justice informed adaptive lens. Readers will explore why it makes all the difference (both for students and administrators) to add adaptive resolution options, from both cognitive and moral development standpoints, and for purely practical reasons. 

About the Author

Mikayla (Waters-Crittenton) McCray contracts with local school systems, court systems, and organizations to train their staff in restorative justice facilitation. She is currently helping to launch a new Restorative Justice Diversion program for the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle county (VA) for both young people (through 22 years old) and adults. She previously served as the Assistant Director of Student Accountability and Restorative Justice and as a Residence Director for Eastern Mennonite University. Prior to joining the EMU team, Mikayla worked to advance the awareness and research around restorative practices in the context of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence at Impact Justice (CA). Mikayla trains national organizations across the US in restorative justice and is certified in The Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience program as well as a rape crisis counselor. She earned an M.A. in Restorative Justice from EMU and undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and Sociology. She lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Dr. Rachel Roth Sawatzky trains national organizations across the US in restorative justice and policy development. She has worked within higher education as a university Title IX Coordinator, Interim Associate Dean of Students, and Director of Student Programs. In addition to serving on many policy advisory groups she has collaborated to lead a team on an Office of Violence Against Women Grant to prevent and eliminate sexual violence and misconduct. Her work has involved providing many training sessions on a variety of topics for students, university personnel, community first responders, and service providers. Rachel’s research interests include institutional policies and protocols in response to misconduct. Bringing a range of additional professional experiences to this project, Rachel has also worked as a social worker in a residential facility for sex offenders, within the foster care and adoption systems, and has experience working with children, families, and students impacted by sexual violence. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Praise for The Little Book of Restorative Justice for Campus Sexual Harms: A Holistic Approach to Address Sexual Misconduct and Relationship Violence for Colleges and Universities (Justice and Peacebuilding)

"[After learning about restorative justice and attending a few trainings] I wish I could have picked this book up before trying to implement restorative justice practices at my institution. The text serves as a thoughtful and informed guidebook for university administrators and practitioners to consider when addressing sexual harm(s) in campus settings. Rachel and Mikayla invite us to engage in a self-reflective, honest dialogue about relationship violence and sexual misconduct on college campuses. Their analysis of where we fall short with institutional processes and procedures is a timely call-in to those committed to campus safety and the overall well-being of campus communities. The charge to “stray from the beaten path” and the status quo is a dynamic summon for university stakeholders to use creativity to craft and adapt practices that meet the needs of their community and institution. Looking back at my experience, I see that the missing link was the Tier 0 assessment and strategic plan, a vital step for RJ implementation. It would have helped clarify the importance and value of culture, climate, and leadership in striving for fidelity-based sustainable approaches."  —Avery Arrington, Assistant Director, National Center on Restorative Justice  
 
"Rachel Roth Sawatzky and Mikayla W-C McCray offer a powerful Little Book introducing how restorative justice can be applied to campus sexual misconduct and relationship violence. Their personal voices come through and it is clear that they are both motivated to advance this work to help colleges and universities understand that they have options when students need them the most. Traditional investigatory-adjudicatory processes often leave parties wanting more; these traditional processes also rarely satisfy administrators’ goals for an intervention that truly stops the behavior, prevents its recurrence, and remedy its effects. This Little Book provides the rationale, a very helpful introduction to Title IX regulations and restorative justice, and words of wisdom from two scholar-practitioners who have lived this and studied it. Their voices are a gift to those who are interested in learning more and to those who want to join them on the journey."  —Kaaren M. Williamsen, Director, Prevention Education, Assistance & Resources at University of Michigan, and co-editor Applying Restorative Justice to Campus Sexual Misconduct: A Guide to Emerging Practices, 2023, Routledge. Williamsen formally served as a Title IX Coordinator and Deputy Title IX Coordinator.   
 

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