Customer Reviews

Changing Paradigms: Punishment and Restorative Discipline

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This is a truly excellent book pulling together in plain, easy-to-read English, the evidence in support of restorative justice. What a shame that we prefer to go on unthinkingly applying punishment in so many cases where the results are clearly destructive. Redekop has presented the rational argument for adopting the theory and practice of restorative discipline. What we need now is a powerful presentation of the emotional arguments for it, because evidence makes clearer and clearer that our decisions on all levels are made by our emotions, not our rational selves.

I've so many sticky markers in the book that it looks like a holiday decoration. Just two quotes from the introduction make the theme. On page 13, "Everywhere it was used, it was clear that punishment did more harm than good. it was again and again proven to be futile at best and terribly harmful at worst, whether it was employed in the justice system, in the family, in schools, or anywhere else." And on page 15 "... the only ones who benefit from punishment are the ones who do not need it."