Achievements and Challenges with Embedding Restorative Justice in Higher Education: Lessons from Institutional Experiences

Restorative justice (RJ) has gained increasing attention in criminal justice education as well as within higher<br/>education as an alternative to punitive disciplinary approaches and a framework for fostering relational and<br/>inclusive academic communities. However, less is known about how RJ is experienced, sustained, and<br/>pedagogically enacted within criminal justice education contexts. Drawing on qualitative data from 68<br/>higher education institutions internationally, this study examines the perceived achievements and<br/>challenges associated with embedding RJ across teaching, student conduct, and staff development. Using<br/>reflexive thematic analysis supported by ATLAS.ti, the study identifies two interrelated themes. First,<br/>participants reported a range of achievements through which RJ supported relational learning, student<br/>engagement, and the development of dialogic and accountable academic cultures. Second, the analysis<br/>highlights persistent challenges that constrain sustainability, including resource scarcity, implementation<br/>discontinuity, cultural and epistemological tensions, limited student engagement, and institutional risk<br/>aversion in complex cases. These challenges function as pedagogical constraints, shaping the conditions<br/>under which restorative principles are modelled and enacted. Overall, the findings suggest that RJ in higher<br/>education operates as a paradoxical project, whose transformative potential depends on coherence between<br/>relational values and structural commitments. For criminal justice education, the study underscores the<br/>importance of embedding restorative practices within everyday learning environments and professional<br/>socialization, rather than treating RJ as a peripheral or symbolic intervention.