Listening to the Movement

Book excerpt: Restorative justice is spreading like wildfire across the globe. How can we explain this burst of energy? This anthology makes the bold claim that restorative justice is a vibrant social justice movement. It is more than a great idea gone viral, more than the extension of the legal system, and more than enacting new legislation. Beginning in 2015, the contributors of this volume took part in a series of dialogues sponsored by the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice, exploring the contours of the restorative justice movement. Each one writes from the burgeoning edges of their own context, inviting readers to consider the fidelity and integrity of the movement's growth. As a cadre, the authors highlight new locations of restorative justice application: race, pedagogy, ecology, youth organizing, community violence reduction, and more. These diverse voices put forward a fast-paced, hard-hitting glimpse into the pulse of restorative justice today and what it may look like tomorrow.