Is it possible to implement Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices in the Mexican Education System? Feasibility Analysis

Abstract

Given the growth of bullying cases in Mexico and the lack of effective instruments to address the situation, the possibility of implementing restorative justice and restorative practices at primary and secondary school levels in Mexico was raised. Using the primary resources was found that restorative processes are being applied informally at some educational levels but without any legal system that recognizes and empowers the application of this matter. Additionally, stakeholders involved in the school sphere are allowed to notice the contextual barriers that exist for the implementation, highlighting among them the cultural and economic ones, since Mexico is a country with clearly punitive roots "of imposing punishments"; and lacking material and human resources to support implementation. At the same time, the brief study of other countries that have applied restorative justice permits us to identify some essential elements for its development and appreciate the importance of applying this subject as philosophy inside and outside the school. This work constitutes the first step to identifying the current contextual conditions of restorative justice through the voice of those already involved in such processes.