Why Restorative Justice Belongs In Our Schools—With Dr. Mara Schiff

Eddie and Steph welcome Dr. Mara Schiff to the podcast. Dr. Schiff is an Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University and a former member of the School Board of the School District of Indian River County. She has many qualifications! But we brought on Dr. Schiff to discuss restorative justice and how it applies to our schools. We begin with Dr. Schiff’s background and talk through her time on the school board during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (7:43). Then we get to the heart of the matter by defining restorative justice, how it can be used in our schools, why it can be a more effective alternative to traditional punishment, and how it can tackle racial and socioeconomic disparities (24:45). After covering the substance of RJ, we address the elephant in the room (or at least, Eddie’s room)—”This sounds woke!” (50:59). Lastly, we discuss whether restorative justice can help us find justice in a post-Trump world for our most elite lawbreakers and what is the future of restorative justice (53:51). Extracurricular Podcast Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller