The Restorative Justice (RJ) Workshop Course Description:
The Restorative Justice (RJ) Workshop immerses students in the philosophy, history, and practice of restorative justice as a response to harm, trauma, and conflict. Grounded in Indigenous traditions and adapted worldwide in justice systems, schools, and communities, RJ emphasizes healing, accountability, and the restoration of relationships.
Students will engage directly with people who bring lived experience, examine international and local models, and participate in team-based projects. Together, they will explore restorative practices such as victim-offender dialogue, community conferencing, impact panels, and circle processes. The course invites students to wrestle with both the promise and the ethical challenges of RJ, particularly within the American criminal and juvenile justice systems, while reflecting on their own professional identity and legal ethics. Working in teams, students will design and facilitate a restorative circle focused on harm and healing, presenting their process and insights to the class.
Restorative Justice Clinic
The Restorative Justice Clinic (RJC), part of Marquette Law School’s Andrew Center for Restorative Justice, offers students supervised, hands-on experience with restorative practices such as victim-offender dialogue, healing circles, and community conferencing. Blending classroom learning with fieldwork, the clinic provides students with opportunities to practice restorative lawyering while engaging in reflection, ethical decision-making, and community-centered problem-solving.
Operating at the intersection of law, healing, and justice, the clinic prepares students to respond to trauma, harm, and conflict with humility, accountability, and empathy. Students work directly with community partners and justice-impacted individuals, gaining skills in facilitation, communication, and collaborative problem-solving. Through this work, students cultivate a professional identity grounded in restorative values while learning to promote accountability, trust, and healing in both legal and community settings.