The Little Book of Restorative Justice for Campus Sexual Harms

A restorative justice approach to addressing sexual misconduct in colleges and universities.

Written for college and university practitioners and administrators, The Little Book of Restorative Justice for Campus Sexual Harms: A Holistic Approach to Address Sexual Misconduct and Relationship Violence for Colleges and Universities combines explanation, justification, and contextualization for the application of restorative justice (RJ) for sexual misconduct, including for alleged Title IX violations. This book outlines considerations, action steps, and best practices for campuses that are interested in exploring the successful implementation of RJ for sexual misconduct. The authors' backgrounds as practitioners within the higher education context grounds this work with personal reflections, experiences, and stories.

This book provides a primer for colleges and universities who seek to move campus culture in a more restorative direction generally, and specifically for practitioners interested in exploring the possibility of amending existing sexual misconduct policies, including investigative-adjudicatory Title IX policy and procedures, through a restorative justice informed lens. Readers will explore why it makes all the difference (for both students and administrators) to add RJ resolution options.
 

Rachel Roth Sawatzky has worked in a variety of student affairs roles and as a university Title IX Coordinator. She now consults with faculty and staff leaders and assists academic units as they holistically respond to sexual misconduct, and trains and supports organizations in restorative justice and policy development. Before her work in higher education, she was a social worker in various settings, including with individuals who have committed sex offenses in an inpatient residential setting, and within the foster care and adoption systems working with children, families, and students impacted by sexual violence. Rachel has a Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Higher Education Administration. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
 
Mikayla (Waters-Crittenton) McCray served as an Assistant Director of Student Accountability and Restorative Justice while also supporting college students as a Residence Director. In addition to her work in higher education, Mikayla is a trained rape crisis counselor and has worked with Impact Justice (CA) to advocate for restorative justice in the context of domestic violence, dating violence, and sexual violence. She helped launch a restorative justice diversion program for youth and adults in Charlottesville and Albemarle County (VA). Mikayla now trains organizations across the US in restorative justice and is pursuing a JD to add to her undergraduate and Master's degrees. She currently resides in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

 “A thoughtful and informed guidebook for university administrators and practitioners to consider when addressing sexual harm(s) in campus settings. The charge to ‘stray from the beaten path’ is a dynamic summon for university stakeholders to use creativity to craft and adapt practices that meet the needs of their community and institution.” —AVERY ARRINGTON, assistant director, National Center on Restorative Justice 

“Traditional investigatory‑adjudicatory processes often leave parties wanting more and rarely satisfy administrators’ goals for an intervention that truly stops the behavior, prevents its recurrence, and remedies its effects. This Little Book provides a very helpful introduction to Title IX regulations and restorative justice, and words of wisdom from two scholar‑practitioners who have lived this and studied it.” —KAAREN M. WILLIAMSEN, director, Prevention Education, Assistance & Resources at University of Michigan, and coeditor Applying Restorative Justice to Campus Sexual Misconduct: A Guide to Emerging Practices 

“The stories offered within this Little Book echo the frustrations and hopes I hear from survivors, those who’ve harmed them, and university administrators. I’m overjoyed that the authors waded into these complex waters to offer nuanced, actionable advice that points us in the right direction.” —SUJATHA BALIGA, restorative justice practitioner, meditation instructor, public speaker, writer, consultant, & MacArthur Fellow