Restorative Justice: Meeting the Challenges of Promoting Respectful Discourse in Higher Education

Palo Alto College's Access, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Committee presents "Restorative Justice: Meeting the Challenges of Promoting Respectful Discourse in Higher Education." This presentation will introduce attendees to restorative justice (RJ) concepts, principles, and values. They will have a basic understanding of basic methods and potential uses of restorative justice processes for addressing the challenges of promoting mutually respectful dialogue and building community. Participants will gain familiarity with an RJ approach to identify and repair harms to victims and other campus community members. Participants will appreciate how RJ practices can help build relationships and raise an understanding of others. 

This event is free and open to the public.

Register here

Learning Objectives

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Define the term restorative justice
• Distinguish between restorative justice and traditional justice
• List restorative justice processes
• Explain the uses of restorative justice practices for addressing student misconduct and building community

Presenter Bio

Robert Rico is a lecturer at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in the College for Health, Community, and Policy, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He also is the Restorative Justice Coordinator with the Office of Inclusive Excellence. Rico earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Master of Public Administration degrees from UTSA.  He is a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin in the Executive Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership program. 

Rico served as a Police Officer for 20 years and is a graduate of the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, Leadership Command College, at Sam Houston State University.

Rico served as a member of The Advisory Council for the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice. He is the founder and served as program coordinator of the Restorative Justice Program of Kendall County. In the fall of 2012, he spearheaded and was a consultant for a restorative justice pilot program at Edward White Middle School in San Antonio, Texas. This program planted the seed in bringing restorative justice practices to Texas public schools. Robert Rico is a co-author of the book, "Restorative Discipline Practices: A Journey In Implementation By A Community of Texas Educators" (Park Place Publications, 2016).