Values of Adaptable Resolution
Adaptable Resolution shares many principles of restorative justice. Restorative justice originated in global indigenous communities and began influencing Western approaches to criminal justice reform in the 1970s. You can read more about restorative justice by visiting Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice.
Adaptable resolution recognizes:
- Prohibited conduct affects complainants, respondents, witnesses, friends, community members, family members, and others.
- Complainants, respondents, and other participants often benefit when resolution processes and outcomes are tailored to meet their unique needs and interests.
- Complainants and other participants may find it useful to meet with a respondent who acknowledges the substance of the underlying events and who acknowledges that complainants or participants have reported experiencing harm as a result.
- Structured processes between participants can create opportunities for learning and development and facilitate long-term healing and restoration, including reducing future problematic behaviors.
- Participants must be protected from secondary victimization and other potential harms, including the pressure to proceed through adaptable resolution instead of the formal investigation.
- To avoid re-traumatization, the process does not require the harmed party to share the details of their experience.
- The university will not require, encourage, or discourage the parties from participating in the adaptable resolution process.
It is important to carefully consider what outcome a harmed party is interested in achieving. A formal investigation determines whether a university policy has been violated, and if so, sanctions are imposed on the responsible party. It can be helpful to understand the values of adaptable resolution in considering your options.
