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Understanding the Anti-Carceral Possibility of School-Based Restorative Justice: A Methodologically Inclusive Systematic Review

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Title: Understanding the Anti-Carceral Possibility of School-Based Restorative Justice: A Methodologically Inclusive Systematic Review
Language: English
Authors: Olivia Marcucci (ORCID 0000-0003-3954-725X), Ashley Anne Grant (ORCID 0000-0002-4647-723X), Eric Rice (ORCID 0000-0003-0902-5979), Alexander Parker, Tonya W. Satchell (ORCID 0000-0002-8553-2895), Mercedes Alicea, Amber Phillips (ORCID 0009-0004-8884-0940), Rebecca A. Cruz (ORCID 0000-0002-9163-1312)
Source: Review of Educational Research. 2026 96(3):1014-1048.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 35
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Information Analyses
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Restorative Practices, Educational Research, Suspension, Expulsion, Discipline, Educational Practices, Best Practices, Correctional Institutions, Educational Environment, Racism
DOI: 10.3102/00346543251329595
ISSN: 0034-6543
1935-1046
Abstract: Restorative justice (RJ), a growing philosophical movement that has been adapted to American schools in recent decades, takes a radically egalitarian view of humans and their relationships, yet it has become entwined in reproductionist discourses and practices, specifically those around school discipline, carceral logics, and social control. Often attributed to diverse Indigenous communities, RJ is a philosophical approach to community-building that casts wrongdoing as relational harm rather than institutional rule violation. It is implemented in schools through a spectrum of restorative practices. While over 60% of schools use some form of restorative practices, often these practices are integrated along with racialized social control and carceral discipline. This methodologically diverse systematic review looks beyond evidence of effectiveness to examine how scholarly studies put restorative justice in conversation with the racialized carceral practices and logics of U.S. schooling. Additionally, this study reviews the operationalization of RJ within these studies (n = 61) to work toward a shared definition of anti-carceral school-based restorative justice. We found that most studies treated restorative justice as an antidote to excessive racialized social control while a small subset discussed its complicity, problematizing the idea or implementation of it. To maximize the anti-carceral potential of school-based RJ, our review suggests that whole-school change is the best approach, with a particular emphasis on the role of school leadership, proper training of school personnel, and student voice.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1505374
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Understanding the Anti-Carceral Possibility of School-Based Restorative Justice: A Methodologically Inclusive Systematic Review
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Olivia+Marcucci%22">Olivia Marcucci</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3954-725X">0000-0003-3954-725X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ashley+Anne+Grant%22">Ashley Anne Grant</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4647-723X">0000-0002-4647-723X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Eric+Rice%22">Eric Rice</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0902-5979">0000-0003-0902-5979</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alexander+Parker%22">Alexander Parker</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tonya+W%2E+Satchell%22">Tonya W. Satchell</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8553-2895">0000-0002-8553-2895</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mercedes+Alicea%22">Mercedes Alicea</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Amber+Phillips%22">Amber Phillips</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8884-0940">0009-0004-8884-0940</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rebecca+A%2E+Cruz%22">Rebecca A. Cruz</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9163-1312">0000-0002-9163-1312</externalLink>)
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  Data: 35
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Information Analyses<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: 10.3102/00346543251329595
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  Data: 0034-6543<br />1935-1046
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  Data: Restorative justice (RJ), a growing philosophical movement that has been adapted to American schools in recent decades, takes a radically egalitarian view of humans and their relationships, yet it has become entwined in reproductionist discourses and practices, specifically those around school discipline, carceral logics, and social control. Often attributed to diverse Indigenous communities, RJ is a philosophical approach to community-building that casts wrongdoing as relational harm rather than institutional rule violation. It is implemented in schools through a spectrum of restorative practices. While over 60% of schools use some form of restorative practices, often these practices are integrated along with racialized social control and carceral discipline. This methodologically diverse systematic review looks beyond evidence of effectiveness to examine how scholarly studies put restorative justice in conversation with the racialized carceral practices and logics of U.S. schooling. Additionally, this study reviews the operationalization of RJ within these studies (n = 61) to work toward a shared definition of anti-carceral school-based restorative justice. We found that most studies treated restorative justice as an antidote to excessive racialized social control while a small subset discussed its complicity, problematizing the idea or implementation of it. To maximize the anti-carceral potential of school-based RJ, our review suggests that whole-school change is the best approach, with a particular emphasis on the role of school leadership, proper training of school personnel, and student voice.
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