Applying Street-Level Bureaucracy Theory to Understand the Barriers to the Implementation of Restorative Justice in Public School Organizations

Reed, Eric J

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Applying Street-Level Bureaucracy Theory to Understand the Barriers to the Implementation of Restorative Justice in Public School Organizations

Reed, Eric J

Abstract

This systematic review identifies the barriers to implementing restorative justice programs in public school organizations. Due to the novelty of restorative justice in schools, barriers often hamper the implementation process. Thus, it was necessary to identify barriers and how they can be mitigated. The PRISMA tool was utilized to examine 17 studies. The review harnessed Lipsky’s (1980) street-level bureaucracy framework to understand the roles of street-level bureaucrats in the education bureaucracy and to understand how the barriers align with the variables that comprise the framework. The results indicated that several barriers existed which include resources, bureaucratic discretion, and role ambiguity.