Research

While Restorative Justice (RJ) has its roots in the victims’ rights movement that arose during the 1970s, and while has been predominantly associated with the criminal justice system, Restorative Practices (RP) emerged in Australia, where it was first implemented in schools during the 1990s (Blood and Thosborne, 2005). The rise and implementation of RJ helped spread and multiply the use of restorative practices (RP), such as the approach to repairing harm, community conferencing, and using dialogue and empathy to strengthen relationships. RP includes any  response to wrongdoing that aligns with the parameters of support and limit setting (Wachtel, 2000). Unlike traditional discipline policies that remove the offender(s) from the school community, RP is designed to bring together both the victim(s) and offender(s) where they can take turns speaking and actively listening (Marsh, 2017). 

Right-Brain Restorative Practices (RBRP) is an approach to discipline, school culture, and conflict resolution that’s rooted in neuroscience and trauma-informed care. Instead of relying mainly on punitive systems or purely left-brain (logical, procedural) strategies, it emphasizes the brain’s right hemisphere, which governs emotion, memory, relationships, and self-regulation. RBRP blends brain science, restorative justice, and social-emotional learning. They shift the focus from “What rule was broken?” to “What need is unmet, and how do we restore connection?

The Right-Brain Restorative Practices (RBRP) approach is a way of addressing student behavior, relationships, and healing that is grounded in neuroscience, trauma-informed care, and cultural responsiveness.

At its core, it recognizes that the right hemisphere of the brain develops early in life and is responsible for emotions, nonverbal communication, implicit memory, and social-emotional attunement. When students experience stress or trauma, their right brain often becomes dysregulated, which can show up as anger, fear, shame, withdrawal, or shutting down. Traditional, punitive discipline approaches target logic and compliance (left-brain strategies), but these often fail because they don’t address the root of the student’s emotional state.

Instead, RBRP emphasizes relational, right-brain to right-brain interactions—such as empathy, attunement, co-regulation, and restorative dialogue—that help students return to a calm, moderate emotional state where they can think, learn, and engage. In this approach:

• Safety and connection come first. Students need to feel understood and supported before they can process mistakes or conflicts.

• Emotional regulation is central. Restorative practices focus on helping students calm their nervous system and re-integrate their sense of self.

• Healing relationships are the goal. Conflict, accountability, and repair are addressed through dialogue and restorative circles, not punishment.

• Cultural responsiveness matters. The approach honors students’ lived experiences, especially those affected by trauma, poverty, or systemic inequities.

Ultimately, Right-Brain Restorative Practices create school cultures where discipline is not about control but about healing, accountability, and belonging.

Right Brain Restorative Practices is a modality within the Restorative Justice spectrum that emphasizes addressing emotions often overlooked during conflict, burnout, or negative institutional culture and climate. By focusing on these core aspects of human connection and communication, this approach fosters a more supportive environment. When emotional needs are properly addressed, it paves the way for enhanced student creativity, self-expression, and alignment. This method promotes a more holistic and emotionally intelligent approach to conflict resolution and personal growth, particularly in educational settings.

Helping individuals heal or process an event via restorative practices solicits information from specific brain regions, specifically domains that respond to danger or a perceived threat. As restorative practitioners, the quality of our understanding and awareness of our client's history is critical to explore. The complexity of every emotional and cognitive block that surfaces is where the real magic and true healing can unfold. Recalling what happened for many can become a grievous and transformative process when the pain and trauma are connected to their narrative.