Program Overview

Professional Certificate in Restorative Justice Practices

The Center for Restorative Justice at Suffolk University's Professional Certificate in Restorative Justice Practices (PCRJP) is a fully remote, four-course program for those seeking to deepen their understanding of restorative justice and strengthen their ability to practice it across educational, community, medical, and criminal-legal settings.

Program Overview

• Designed for those with a background in restorative justice who have a desire to further engage in restorative justice practices
• Expand and deepen knowledge of cultural, historical, and spiritual roots of restorative justice
• Participate in an experiential program designed to support strengthening understanding of the practices and adapting restorative approaches to community and work
• Learn alongside experienced restorative justice practitioners and educators who bring both lived experience and long-term engagement in the field
• Explore what it takes to practice and sustain restorative justice within and alongside schools, courts, medical institutions, and community-based settings
• Complete a supervised practicum that offers real-world experience within your current role or setting
• Engage in ongoing reflection on racial and social justice as essential to restorative justice practice, with attention to power, equity, and accountability

Application Materials

We encourage individuals with a wide array of backgrounds and life experiences to apply to the program. Individuals who may have had prior involvement with the criminal-legal system or those who have formerly been incarcerated are welcome in our program and encouraged to apply. A college degree is not required.

Requirements

• Submit a completed application
• Personal statement - Choice of written or video submission
• Resumé

Optional Materials

• Statements of support from supervisors, mentors, teachers, or others who can speak to your interest in the field of restorative justice
• An unofficial transcript indicating the highest level of academic achievement

Program Structure

The program is completed part-time over one academic year beginning in the summer. It brings together incarcerated learners, community practitioners, and professionals from a range of fields into a fully-remote, shared circle learning environment cohort rooted in relationship and mutual accountability.

Course Details

Summer Intensive Course

• Restorative Justice: The Core
  • Dates: July 20 - 24, 2026, and July 27 - 31, 2026
  • This is a daily, synchronous online course that will take place from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m with a mid-day break

Fall Semester

• Choose 1 of the offered synchronous online courses:
  • Restorative Justice in Educational Settings
    • Afternoon/Evening class, Day of week and time TBD
  • Restorative Justice in Community, Medical, and Criminal-Legal Settings
    • Daytime class, Day of week and time TBD

Spring Semester

• Supervised Practicum in Restorative Justice
  • Completed either in your workplace or in a community setting
• Leading and Sustaining Change Course
  • Late afternoon/evening class (Typically held on Thursdays from May 7 - June 4 from 4 - 8:30 p.m.)
  • Entire cohort together

Tuition and Fees

The tuition rate for the 2026 - 2027 academic year is $8250.

• Our preferred payment method is via check, either from your employer or a personal check.
• Credit card payments are also accepted and include a convenience fee of 5%.

Attendance and Completion

To receive the PCRJP Certificate, participants are required to attend all courses and sessions.

Program Deposit

Once an offer of admissions is accepted, a non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to hold a program slot.

Books and Materials

Yes, we will ship the books to you once you are admitted.

Scholarships

We are committed to addressing the societal inequities that exist in our community that systematically advantage some groups of people over others. Our first priority is for those who have been or are currently system-involved and those who have been disadvantaged systemically in our society.

• A very limited number of small scholarships may be available, which can change each year depending on funding.
• Information on how to request financial assistance will be emailed to accepted applicants.
• Decisions regarding financial assistance are made on a rolling basis.
• As a non-credit program, the PCRJP is not eligible for federal financial aid.
• Students are not eligible for a scholarship if their employer or another organization is paying their program tuition.

Application Deadline

The priority application deadline is May 10, 2026. A limited number of applications submitted after May 10 may be considered on a rolling, space-available basis until May 31, 2026.