Amazonas court signs agreement to bring restorative justice to state schools

The Court of Justice of Amazonas (TJAM) and the State Secretariat for Education and School Sports (Seduc) signed this Tuesday (02/04) the Technical Cooperation Agreement No. 21/2024 aimed at raising awareness and training professionals of the state teaching network in Restorative Justice and support for the dissemination of the culture of peace and restorative practices in state schools. The signing of the ACT was attended by the president of TJAM, judge Nélia Caminha Jorge; the main secretary of Seduc, Arlete Ferreira Mendonça; and the coordinator of the Court’s Restorative Justice Center, judge Luís Cláudio Cabral Chaves.

The objective of the training is to offer subsidies to teachers and managers of state schools and advisors from district coordinators to apply Restorative Justice practices in the school environment, involving the entire community, families, students and people who work in the space, ensuring a more social insertion. solidarity and citizenship. In addition to conflict resolution, Restorative Justice helps young people to have more empathy and rediscover self-esteem, improving their interpersonal relationships.

The courses will have a workload of 44 hours, distributed between theoretical activities (4 class hours/each) and practical activities (40 class hours/each), and will be taught by employees of the Court of Justice of Amazonas, with training in Restorative Justice. Seduc will be responsible for offering physical space for training and making the Amazonas State Media Center available when necessary.

For the president of TJAM, with the signing of the agreement, the Court takes another important step towards the implementation of the Judicial Policy of Restorative Justice in Amazonas. The partnership with Seduc will extend the reach of restorative practices to our entire State and, consequently, the dissemination of the culture of peace”, said judge Nélia Caminha.

According to the secretary of Seduc, Arlete Ferreira Mendonça, at first the expectation is that around 600 employees from district coordinators in the capital and the interior will be trained and become multipliers of Restorative Justice in state schools.

“May we, every day, implement policies that make work viable in a way that positively affects the lives of our students. From the moment this training is carried out, these employees will implement Restorative Justice actions in schools and units in the capital and in the interior of the State, and this will certainly establish a better performance in the Education of our students, which is this the main role”, commented Arlete Ferreira.

Source of hope

On April 5, 2023, TJAM and the Municipal Department of Education (Semed) signed a similar Technical Cooperation Agreement that is currently being implemented with the municipal education network and, given the success achieved, it is understood as essential that the state education network could also be reached by this source of hope in these times of increasing school violence, explains the coordinator of the Restorative Justice Center, judge Luís Cláudio Cabral Chaves. The judge highlights the importance of internalizing Restorative Justice.

“We are taking a culture of peace to schools and anticipating problems. The most significant issue today is that we will have the opportunity to participate in the implementation of this policy, but internally. This agreement with Seduc will allow us to reach state schools, mainly in the interior of the State.

According to the judge, the proposal is for the work to begin in the ten largest municipalities in Amazonas in person. “We will form this team of technicians, of volunteer Seduc teachers who want to receive training. And we will also be able, via the Government Media Center, to carry out distance training in other municipalities, because the size of our State does not allow us to physically reach all municipalities simultaneously”, explained Luís Cláudio.

“Culture of peace”

The National Council of Justice (CNJ), as an act of recognition of the importance of restorative practices in schools, declared 2023 as the “Year of Restorative Justice in Education”, in order to promote a culture of peace in the school environment and reduce conflicts both in schools and in the communities in which they are located.

Restorative Justice gives the community the leading role in resolving their own conflicts and empowers people to deal with their problems safely and effectively. In Education, its objectives are to cultivate healthy relationships; create fair and equitable learning environments; repair damage and transform conflicts based on the principle that all people have value and are relational. And, in addition, its core values ​​are: respect, dignity and mutual care.

Source: TJAM