What is Peace Circles?
Peace Circles are a restorative justice peacemaking strategy that engages whole communities — including and beyond the directly-involved parties who negotiate in the simpler mediation process, also with a facilitator to moderate the dialogue. They emphasize healing and learning through a collective group process, aiming to repair harm done and assign responsibility by talking through the problem. Unlike punitive approaches that focus on punishment, peace circles bring together those who have caused harm, those who have been harmed, and community members to understand the roots of conflict and determine together how to repair relationships and prevent future harm.
At a peace circle, at least 3 participants sit in a circle of chairs, ideally without tables or other obstructions between them. At the center, symbolic objects may be placed to remind participants of values shared among them. The participants use a talking stick to take turns speaking. The talking piece is passed from person to person in the circle and only the person holding the piece may speak ensuring that each person has an opportunity to be heard. The process is facilitated but not controlled; facilitators of the circle guide the participants and direct the movement of the talking piece. As the talking piece makes the rounds of the circle, the group discusses different topics.
Origins & lineage
Rooted in centuries-old indigenous practices, they’re meant to address harm and conflict by inviting everyone involved to really listen to each other. Circles are found in the First Nations cultures of Canada, and are used for many purposes. The use of peacemaking circles for structuring communication and decision-making in many diverse cultures is probably as ancient as humankind. Peacemaking circles are particularly integrated and used among the many indigenous tribes of North America.
Talking Circles originated with First Nations leaders - the process was used to ensure that all leaders in the tribal council were heard, and that those who were speaking were not interrupted. During the 1990s, members of First Nations in Canada began teaching the Circle practice to non-Native people. First Nation communities were seeking alternatives to the mass incarceration of their people, which was—and remains—another form of genocide.
The Hollow Water First Nation on Lake Winnipeg has played a critical role in demonstrating the philosophy and power of Circles to address harms in communities. Many non-Natives learned about Circles through their work, especially by reading Rupert Ross’s book, Returning to the Teachings: Exploring Aboriginal Justice. This article reports on the development and use of peacemaking circles in South Saint Paul, Minnesota, representing the first exploratory study of circles in the US. The South Saint Paul initiative represents one of the oldest efforts in the US to adapt circles as a restorative justice approach within the community and schools.
Kay Pranis emerged as a pivotal figure in bringing peace circles into mainstream restorative justice practice. She served as the Restorative Justice Planner for the Minnesota Department of Corrections from 1994 to 2003. The foundational 2003 text was adapted from work by Carolyn Boyes-Watson, Suffolk College; Jon Prichard, University of Maine; Pranis, K., Barry Stuart and Mark Wedge, Peacemaking Circles, From Crime to Community, Living Justice Press.
In Brazil, Dominic Barter developed a unique conference model known as restorative circles, which involves three key participants: the author of a given act, the recipient of that act and the local community. Barter coined these terms – and prefers them to the victim and offender labels – in recognition of the complex web of mutuality much violence involves. In 2004 the Brazilian Ministry of Justice received a small UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) grant to launch the country’s first official restorative justice (RJ) pilot projects.
How it’s practiced
The physical setup is intentional and symbolic. At the center of a restorative justice circle is a centerpiece, often a cloth or fabric to ground the conversation. On top of the centerpiece, participants in the circle can place photos, cards with important words or messages written on them, and other meaningful objects. A facilitator then starts with an opening ceremony—a breathing exercise, a song or poem, or a meditation—before passing around an object that serves as the talking piece. Another crucial element of the circle, the talking piece gives the speaker a chance to share openly and uninterrupted, while inviting others to listen deeply.
The circle process builds on the values of respect, honesty, listening, truth, sharing, and others. Peacemaking circles bring together individuals who want to engage in conflict resolution, healing, support, decision making or other activities when honest communication, relationship development, and community building are desired outcomes. Circles can be appropriate in business, family, judicial, social service and other settings.
The process varies based on purpose and severity. Facilitators meet with those directly affected to discuss what happened and to provide space to reflect on how the harm had an impact on them. This includes those who created the harm. Here, the facilitator explains to each person the process and goal of a peace-building circle and asks them if they will be willing to participate. Facilitators ask other community members to participate—these are community members invested in repairing the harm and rebuilding relationships. Discussion and resolution of the problem may be achieved in a single session, but peace circles may extend into many sessions until genuine consensus is reached.
Peace Circles today
Peace circles can be used in a variety of settings including schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, among family and friends, and in the juvenile and criminal legal systems. In educational settings, the peace circle has become a safe haven. There are many kinds of circles within the restorative practice model — some are called proactive circles, others are called community building, celebration, and repairing circles. They are all versions of the peace circle — the circle process of the North American indigenous cultures that is rooted in community sharing, ritual, openness, acceptance, respect, and resolution.
The use of these practices have decreased suspensions and expulsions, reduced the number of referrals, and improved graduation rates. In criminal justice contexts, peacemaking circles use traditional circle ritual and structure to create a respectful space in which the crime victim, victim supporters, offender, offender supporters, judge, prosecutor, defense counsel, police, court workers, and all interested community members can speak in a shared search for understanding the event at issue.
Trainings are widely available through organizations like Living Justice Press, the International Institute for Restorative Practices, and individual practitioners including Kay Pranis. Many jurisdictions now incorporate circle processes into their justice systems, schools, and community organizations.
Common misconceptions
Peace circles are not group therapy sessions, though healing often occurs. It is important to understand that the type of discussion circles generally used in classrooms are not intended to be used for any therapeutic purpose. Classroom-based Talking or Sharing Circles are not Healing Circles (the latter needing to be facilitated by skilled leaders in specific contexts, and in First Nations contexts, often include additional cultural protocols).
They are not “easy” conflict resolution. Circle processes are simple and organic but certainly cannot be facilitated in a pinch and are by no means, an ‘easy way out’. The simplicity of the structure belies the difficulty of creating truly safe space for difficult conversations.
Peace circles are not culturally monolithic. Different Native Peoples practice different forms of the Circle process. Indigenous Circle spaces and Westernized Circle spaces look and feel different: they are not the same. Different cultural philosophies and habits undergird each. Western adaptations, while inspired by Indigenous practices, should acknowledge this distinction and avoid cultural appropriation.
Finally, peace circles do not replace accountability. The person who has caused that harm, meanwhile, has to confront the impact of their actions head-on—by hearing directly from those they’ve hurt and actively taking accountability. The process demands responsibility, not avoidance.
How to begin
For practitioners seeking training, Kay Pranis’s The Little Book of Circle Processes: A New/Old Approach to Peacemaking (Good Books, 2005) offers an accessible introduction. The comprehensive text Peacemaking Circles: From Crime to Community (Pranis, Stuart, and Wedge, Living Justice Press, 2003) provides depth for serious study.
Organizations can begin by attending trainings offered through regional restorative justice organizations or inviting trained facilitators to conduct introductory workshops. Many communities start with low-stakes “community building circles” before moving to conflict resolution. Community Circles are good practice, to build relationships and skills that later can be used in Peace Circles for overcoming misunderstandings or problem-solving. Peace Circles may be used to facilitate pro-active practice, using conflict examples from experience or from texts. Once a group has practiced the skills of peace circle dialogue as pro-active community-building and skill-building practice with non-urgent conflict examples, then they can use Peace Circles for peacemaking.
For individual seekers interested in experiencing circles, look for community mediation centers, restorative justice organizations, progressive schools, and faith communities that have adopted the practice. Online trainings and resources are increasingly available through organizations like Living Justice Press and the International Institute for Restorative Practices.