Mar 28, 2024  
Catalog 2015-2016 
    
Catalog 2015-2016 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Restorative Justice Certificate


Governors State University offers a 5-course certification program in restorative justice theory and practice through the College of Arts and Sciences .

Restorative Justice involves the utilization of collaborative, community-based or community-oriented techniques for responding to crimes and offenses, relying less on traditional judicial processing, and more on victim, community, and offender-centered practices that hold offenders accountable for their actions, ensure that the consequences of harms and offenses meet the specific needs and desires of victims and community members, while attending to improvement in offender competencies so as to prevent future harmful behavior on the offender’s part. This certification program provides instruction in the historical, global, and cultural influences on contemporary restorative justice programs and practices on a range of evidence-based restorative practices and on restorative justice program planning and evaluation techniques. It includes several practice-oriented workshops through which students acquire hands-on practice and skill development in restorative justice techniques, enabling them, upon successful completion of the program, to confidently practice restorative justice in their families, communities, and workplaces.

Admissions Requirements

Eligible registrants for this program include GSU students and other students with successful records of upper-division college coursework and with an interest in working collaboratively in their communities and workplaces on restorative approaches to conflict resolution and peacemaking.

Entrance requirements for this certification program include the following:

  • For GSU students: successful completion of 15 hours of upper-division coursework with an overall C+ (2.7 GPA) average or better for all courses taken at GSU.
  • For non-GSU students, or for GSU students with fewer than 15 hours of upper division coursework: demonstration of an interest in restorative justice and completion of 15 hours of upper division coursework at another college or university with a 2.7 GPA or better, or a written petition describing life and work experience that demonstrates sufficient ability and interest to complete a 15-credit upper-division certification program in restorative justice.

These entrance requirements are slightly more stringent than the general entrance requirements for the CJUS Program, because they include successful completion of upper division courses (or demonstration of life or work experience indicative of the ability to complete the upper-division courses in this program) prior to enrolling in the certification program.

Certificate Requirements


Completion of the certificate in restorative justice practice requires successful completion of the following courses with a “B” average (3.0 GPA) or better across all five courses.

Total - 15 Hours