UC San Diego

Background: School systems across the United States have begun implementing restorative justice practices (RJPs) to address disciplinary incidents. Previous research has found these alternatives to be effective in reducing the number of re-offenses and improving overall school connectedness, climate, and individual behavioral outcomes among students. However, there is limited research assessing the advantage of using these approaches to address drug-related incidents specifically. Objective: The aim of this study is to report findings from an intermediate evaluation of an RJP program with substance use intervention components in a rural school system. Measures of interest include changes in enrollee substance use behaviors and harm perceptions, self-responsibility, resource awareness, and the count of overall and drug-related suspensions. Methods: Data from pretest and posttest surveys, activity logs, a case management database, and publicly available discipline data were extracted and analyzed to inform the assessment of changes in individual behavioral and discipline landscape outcomes. Results: Most enrollees reported a decrease in substance use and increased resource awareness. Furthermore, decreases in the number of overall and drug-related suspensions were noted at schools implementing the restorative program. Conclusion: Findings from this intermediate evaluation reveal promising insight into the program’s effectiveness in addressing adolescent substance use behaviors and the disciplinary landscape. Nonetheless, further research is needed to examine the program-specific advantages of RJPs versus traditional punitive measures (e.g., suspensions and expulsions) to address drug-related disciplinary incidents.