CRJ445
Community Development Through Restorative Justice
Conflict, harm and disconnection show up in every community, but they can also be powerful starting points for change. In this course, you’ll learn how restorative justice principles can strengthen communities, prevent harm and support collective healing.
You’ll explore practical tools such as circles, participatory decision-making and values-based leadership, while examining human rights and Indigenous perspectives. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to design and assess a restorative community initiative grounded in accountability, belonging and sustainability.
This course is designed for practitioners, community leaders and professionals working in justice, education, social services and community development.
Suggested prerequisite:
Overview
Location: Online
Format: Self-paced within deadlines set by instructor
Duration: 13 weeks
Tuition: $995
Can be applied to:
Restorative Justice Certificate
Upcoming Offerings
Register for a course at any time, with the option to apply to a program later.
- Wed, May 6 - Tue, Aug 4 (self-paced within deadlines)
- Wed, Sep 9 - Tue, Dec 8 (self-paced within deadlines)
What you will learn
After completing this course, you鈥檒l be able to do the following:
- Apply restorative justice principles to community development contexts to prevent harm, strengthen relationships and support collective accountability.
- Analyze community challenges using individual, cultural and universal lenses to identify restorative possibilities for change.
- Plan restorative processes, including circles and dialogic processes, with attention to equity, cultural humility and belonging.
- Evaluate restorative community work using theory of change and qualitative assessment methods.
- Assess the opportunities and risks of digital tools for community engagement, trust-building and misinformation within restorative practice.
- Articulate a sustainability strategy for restorative community development that draws on asset-based and collaborative frameworks.
How you will learn and be evaluated
- Prepare to spend about 10 hours per week on coursework
- Expect reading and other assignments on a weekly basis
- Plan to access the course at least once every few days to keep up with your work and group assignments
You will be evaluated on:
- Assignments
- Participation in online discussions
This course is assessed on a competency-based scale of Pass or Fail. To graduate with the Restorative Justice Certificate, successfully complete all required courses.
Learning Materials
Course fees do not include textbooks. We recommend you purchase your textbook as soon as you鈥檝e registered. We will provide additional course materials online.
Required textbooks:
Ball, J., Caldwell, W., & Pranis, K. Doing Democracy with Circles: Engaging Communities in Public Planning. Living Justice Press, 2010. Available for purchase from or .
Block, P. Community: The Structure of Belonging, 3rd Edition. Berrett-Koehler, 2026. Available for purchase from or .
Technical Requirements
For online courses, you will need a computer with audio and microphone that is connected to the internet. Canvas is the online system that will be used for the course. For more information and online support, visit Online Learning.
Partners/sponsors
School of Criminology
51社区黑料