Washington Assembly of Restorative Practices
On September 18, 2026, Washington held its first statewide convening for reentry, restorative justice, and systems transformation, built from the ground up to include rural and tribal voices. Here's what happened, and where to go next.
- Friday, September 18, 2026
- 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM
- UW Bothell
- 150–250 attendees from 20+ counties
About the day
WARP was built different. We funded participation from rural reentry organizations in counties across Washington and centered tribal voices as program leaders.
Travel, lodging, and access costs were underwritten for organizations that otherwise could not have been in the room.
One day. The whole state in the room.
WARP brought together corrections leaders, tribal justice practitioners, rural nonprofits, behavioral health and housing providers, researchers, policymakers, and people with lived experience for a single day of learning, connection, and policy dialogue at the University of Washington Bothell.
Why this summit
Four reasons WARP matters
Learn
Breakout sessions on reentry, housing, behavioral health, employment, and civic engagement, led by practitioners and researchers from across the state.
Connect
A rare cross-sector space where corrections leaders, tribal practitioners, rural nonprofits, policymakers, and people with lived experience share the same room.
Advance
Policy dialogue tied to live reform questions in Washington that are actionable. Learning with real statewide reach, not just inspiration.
Elevate
Healing-centered, culturally grounded justice models built into every program segment and centered from beginning to end.
Built for broad participation
We make the room reflect the state.
Statewide justice convenings have historically been anchored in Seattle and shaped primarily by urban organizations. WARP is designed from the start to be different.
Travel, lodging, and access costs are covered for organizations across Washington, including rural reentry programs and Tribal Nations, so that being in the room does not depend on what a budget can absorb.
Geography and budget should not determine who gets a seat at a statewide conversation.
Thank you
Washington showed up
Statewide turnout
Attendees joined us from 20+ counties across Washington. Thank you to everyone who made the trip, and to everyone who wanted to be there and couldn't. We're taking what we learned into next year.
To everyone who made the day happen
Thank you to the attendees, speakers, breakout leaders, sponsors, and partner organizations who filled the room and shaped the conversation. WARP was Washington's first statewide convening of its kind, and it happened because of you.
Questions about the day, or want to stay connected for next year? Email alexa@warpconference.org.
Share the day
Got photos from WARP?
Send us what you captured, from the round dance to the closing panel, and we'll add them to the shared album. Email your photos to info@warpconference.org.
You can also browse and download everything the community has shared so far.
Keep learning
Restorative practices & circle resources
A starting library for Washington practitioners, from where to find a circle keeper in your county to the statutes, research, and books that ground the work. Washington-specific resources come first, followed by the national tools our practitioners rely on most.
- Find support near you
- State agencies & programs
- Tribal peacemaking
- Circle keeper training
- Law & policy
- Literature
- Research & evidence
- Free toolkits
For attorneys & legal system practitioners
If you work in the criminal legal system, start here. These are the resources most relevant to clients who are incarcerated, in reentry, or eligible for diversion.
- RCW 13.40.020 and RCW 13.40.080: Washington's statutory definition of restorative justice and juvenile diversion referrals
- 2SHB 1391 (2025): diversion may include restorative justice; completed diversions removed from criminal history
- DOC Victim-Offender Dialogue: survivor-initiated, and it does not affect custody, release, or clemency
- Collective Justice and Freedom Project: circle and healing programs inside Washington prisons and in reentry
- Reading: Danielle Sered, Until We Reckon; Barb Toews, The Little Book of Restorative Justice for People in Prison; Shadd Maruna, Making Good
Find support near you
Washington's 21 Dispute Resolution Centers are the closest thing the state has to a statewide restorative network. All are trained in restorative practices, and many run school, youth diversion, and circle programs.
Resolution Washington
The member association for Washington's 21 Dispute Resolution Centers. Its restorative practices page and location directory are the best single starting point for finding local circle and restorative services.
Collective Justice
A restorative justice organization formed by survivors and imprisoned community members. Runs HEAL circles at the Monroe Correctional Complex, survivor healing circles, facilitated dialogue and accountability processes, and practitioner trainings.
Freedom Project
Offers Nonviolent Communication and mindfulness programming in Washington prisons, plus reentry support, a men's healing circle, and a monthly community circle open to formerly and never-incarcerated people.
King County DRC
Restorative practices in schools and circle-keeping training for communities, workplaces, and residential settings.
Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County
Youth and school restorative practices, plus conflict resolution training for the South Sound.
Northwest Mediation Center
Restorative circles in schools and a growing community circle program serving Spokane and Eastern Washington.
Community Peace Center of Central Washington
Restorative Alternative Meetings for youth in juvenile diversion, plus community violence intervention work.
Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center
Custom training, consultation, and direct facilitation of restorative processes for schools and organizations.
Peninsula Dispute Resolution Center
Youth restorative justice and group facilitation serving Jefferson and Clallam counties.
CHOOSE 180
Community-based restorative programs for young people in King County, including a five-week restorative program for students at risk of suspension. A founding partner in King County's youth diversion consortium.
King County youth legal system resources
Restorative Community Pathways, the county's community-led youth diversion program, is being restructured as King County Youth Diversion and Intervention, now limited to misdemeanor referrals. This page also covers Family Intervention and Restorative Services (FIRS).
Wenatchee Valley DRC
Home of Resolution Washington's Restorative Practices Lead and one of the state's professional Circle Keeper trainings.
State agencies & programs
Where restorative practice shows up inside Washington state government.
DOC Victim-Offender Dialogue
A one-time, structured, facilitated meeting inside a Washington prison, initiated only by the survivor, with months of preparation. Participation does not affect the incarcerated person's custody, release date, or clemency. Governed by DOC Policy 390.350. Victim Services: 1-800-322-2201.
Office of Crime Victims Advocacy
The state's voice in government for crime victims, housed at the Department of Commerce. Funds community and tribal victim services and co-reviews DOC dialogue applications.
Commerce Dispute Resolution Program
The state funder of Dispute Resolution Centers under RCW 7.75, supporting youth and community restorative practices, family mediation, and housing stability work across 25 counties.
OSPI Student Discipline
Washington's discipline rules (WAC 392-400) require proactive and restorative supports and limit exclusionary discipline. Revised rules took effect July 11, 2025, so older guidance documents predate current law.
DCYF Juvenile Rehabilitation
Serves young people up to age 25. The Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice lists supporting restorative justice practices statewide as a goal.
Washington State Institute for Public Policy
The Legislature's nonpartisan research institute. Its benefit-cost model rates restorative programs in juvenile justice, adult criminal justice, and schools.
Tribal peacemaking & Healing to Wellness Courts
Circle practice comes from Indigenous traditions. Many Washington tribes run Healing to Wellness Courts that use talking circles, elders panels, and peacemaking. Please learn from tribes' own sources, and don't treat ceremony as a generic technique.
Washington State Tribal Courts
The Governor's Office of Indian Affairs directory of tribal courts across Washington.
Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts
A national roster including Washington courts at Chehalis, Lower Elwha Klallam, Lummi, Quinault, Snoqualmie, Suquamish, Swinomish, and Yakama Nation.
Tulalip Healing to Wellness Court
A UW feature on Tulalip's court, which began accepting participants in 2017, and the Tribal Justice Exchange video series on its wellness court and elders panel.
Circle keeper training & education
Places to learn to keep circles and build restorative skills, in Washington and nationally.
DRC trainings
Wenatchee Valley DRC offers professional Circle Keeper training. King County and Thurston County DRCs offer circle-keeping and restorative practices trainings. Resolution Washington keeps a statewide training calendar.
Seattle University
Graduate courses in Restorative/Community Justice and Restorative Justice: Behind Bars, an encounter-model course that brings incarcerated and campus students together.
UW Center for Human Rights
The Rethinking Punishment project supported the circle-keeper trainings that launched the HEAL circles at Monroe.
National Center on Restorative Justice
Certificate programs with scholarships, a free database of restorative justice laws, a resource library, and a podcast.
Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice
Free webinars from the institute named for Howard Zehr at Eastern Mennonite University.
International Institute for Restorative Practices
A graduate school offering training and credentials in restorative practices, the framework used by Washington's Dispute Resolution Centers.
Washington law & policy
Statutes, rules, and reports that reference restorative justice in Washington.
- RCW 13.40.020Defines restorative justice in the Juvenile Justice Act: victim-sensitive practices that encourage the person who caused harm to take responsibility for repairing it through voluntary communication among the victim, offender, families, and community.
- RCW 13.40.080Juvenile diversion. A diversion unit may refer a young person to a restorative justice program.
- 2SHB 1391 (2025)Juvenile diversion reform (Chapter 140, Laws of 2025, effective July 27, 2025). Diversion may include restorative justice, completed diversions are removed from criminal history, and the state now collects statewide diversion data.
- SHB 1775 (2012)Washington's first statutory definition of restorative justice; allowed completing a restorative process to satisfy a juvenile diversion agreement.
- RCW 7.75The Court Improvement Act, which authorizes and funds Washington's Dispute Resolution Centers.
- RCW 7.69.030Crime victims' bill of rights, important context for any survivor-initiated restorative process.
- WAC 392-400K–12 student discipline rules requiring restorative and proactive supports and limiting suspension and expulsion. Revised rules effective July 11, 2025.
- DOC Policy 390.350The Department of Corrections policy governing victim-offender dialogue.
- UW report to the Legislature (2021)Beckett & Herbert, Developing Restorative Justice as a Response to Hate Crime in Washington, recommending a state restorative justice program that funds community-based organizations.
Literature
Foundational and current reading on circle processes and restorative practice. Living Justice Press publishes many of the core circle texts.
Circle processes
- Peacemaking Circles: From Crime to CommunityKay Pranis, Barry Stuart & Mark Wedge (2003)The classic account of sentencing and community circles, drawn from Yukon First Nations practice. Essential for justice system audiences. Living Justice Press →
- The Little Book of Circle ProcessesKay Pranis (2005)A short, practical introduction to circle structure, talking pieces, and the role of the keeper.
- Circle Forward: Building a Restorative School CommunityCarolyn Boyes-Watson & Kay Pranis (2015; rev. 2020)Ready-to-use circle plans for schools. Publisher →
- Heart of HopeCarolyn Boyes-Watson & Kay Pranis (2010)A circle curriculum for emotional literacy and healing with young people.
- Peacemaking Circles and Urban YouthCarolyn Boyes-Watson (2008)Circles in youth justice and community settings.
- Calling the Circle & The Circle WayChristina Baldwin (1994); Christina Baldwin & Ann Linnea (2010)Circle practice for groups and organizations.
- Returning to the TeachingsRupert Ross (1996)Indigenous approaches to justice, including Hollow Water's Community Holistic Circle Healing.
- Navajo Nation Peacemaking: Living Traditional JusticeMarianne O. Nielsen & James W. Zion, eds. (2005)Traditional peacemaking as practiced within a tribal justice system.
- Origins of CirclesLiving Justice Press (free)A short primer on the Indigenous roots of circle practice. Read online →
- Reentry circlesLorenn Walker & Leslie Greening, Federal Probation (2010)The Hawaiʻi Huikahi model, the most-cited approach to reentry planning circles.
Restorative justice foundations
- Changing LensesHoward Zehr (1990; 25th anniv. ed. 2015)The founding argument for restorative justice as a different way of seeing crime and justice.
- The Little Book of Restorative JusticeHoward Zehr (2002; rev. 2015)The best one-hour primer, for any setting.
- Until We ReckonDanielle Sered (2019)The case for restorative justice in serious violent crime, from the founder of Common Justice.
- The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justicefania e. davis (2019)Connects restorative justice to racial justice, from the founder of RJOY.
- Restorative Justice DialogueMark Umbreit & Marilyn Peterson Armour (2010)Victim-offender dialogue, including in cases of severe violence.
- Crime, Shame and ReintegrationJohn Braithwaite (1989)The theory of reintegrative shaming that underpins much restorative work.
Prison, reentry & community accountability
- The Little Book of Restorative Justice for People in PrisonBarb Toews (2006)Written for incarcerated readers, and useful for anyone working inside.
- Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their LivesShadd Maruna (2001)Desistance research that grounds restorative reentry.
- We Do This 'Til We Free UsMariame Kaba (2021)Essays on abolition, transformative justice, and community accountability.
- Fumbling Towards RepairMariame Kaba & Shira Hassan (2019)A workbook for community accountability facilitators.
- We Will Not Cancel Usadrienne maree brown (2020)Accountability and repair inside movements and communities.
Schools
- The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for SchoolsLorraine Stutzman Amstutz & Judy Mullet (2005)Restorative alternatives to punitive discipline.
- The Little Book of Restorative Justice in EducationKatherine Evans & Dorothy Vaandering (2016)A relational, whole-school approach.
- The Restorative Practices HandbookBob Costello, Joshua Wachtel & Ted Wachtel (2009)The IIRP's practical handbook for teachers and administrators.
Research & evidence
The evidence is real, and it's mixed. Restorative conferencing reliably improves outcomes for survivors and modestly reduces reoffending; Washington-specific cost-benefit results are more cautious. We share both so you can make the case honestly.
Campbell Collaboration (2013)
Strang, Sherman et al. reviewed ten randomized studies of face-to-face conferencing: modestly less repeat offending, larger effects for violent than property crime, and consistently higher victim satisfaction.
RAND Pittsburgh study (2018)
Across 44 schools, restorative practices reduced suspensions and narrowed racial gaps, and teachers reported better climate. It found no academic gains, and middle school achievement dipped.
WSIPP benefit-cost results
Juvenile conferencing and victim-offender mediation have a 78% chance that benefits exceed costs, mostly because they cost less than court. Adult conferencing and school programs score lower.
WestEd updated review (2019)
Fronius et al. summarize two decades of research on restorative justice in U.S. schools.
Restorative Community Pathways evaluation
Impact Justice's evaluation of King County's community-led youth diversion program, useful alongside the county's 2025 decision to narrow the program to misdemeanors.
Freedom Project study (2014)
Suarez et al. in SAGE Open found a 21% return-to-prison rate among 885 Freedom Project participants, compared with 37% statewide. The design is correlational, so it can't rule out who chose to participate.
Free toolkits & guides
Practical guides you can download and use today.
"The Peacemaking Circle" handout
A free excerpt from Living Justice Press on how a peacemaking circle works.
Oakland Unified RJ Implementation Guide
A whole-school implementation guide, widely used in Washington districts and hosted by Seattle Public Schools.
Restorative Practices guide (NEA, AFT & partners)
A practical guide to building relationships and positive discipline in schools.
OSPI Behavior Menu
Washington's menu of best practices, which rates restorative justice as a "promising" alternative to suspension.
Restorative Justice: Principles and Practice
A prison-focused handbook from the Restorative Justice Exchange (Prison Fellowship International). Faith-based in origin.
NACRJ
The National Association of Community and Restorative Justice. Its next national conference is in 2028.
Know a resource we're missing?
We're building this list with the field. If your county, tribe, or organization runs circle or restorative programs, especially in Pierce, Snohomish, or rural Washington, email info@warpconference.org and we'll add it.
Links verified November 2026. Programs change, so please confirm details with each organization directly. Listing a resource is not an endorsement.