Restorative practices

Restorative practices (or RP) is a social science field concerned with improving and repairing relationships and social connections among people.^[1] Whereas a zero tolerance social mediation system prioritizes punishment, RP privileges the repair of harm and dialogue among actors.^[2] In fact, the purpose of RP is to build healthy communities, increase social capital, decrease crime and antisocial behavior, mend harm and restore relationships.^[3] It ties together research in a variety of social science fields, including education, psychology, social work, criminology, sociology, organizational development and leadership. RP has been growing in popularity since the early 2000s and varying approaches exist.^[4]