Building Implementation Capacity for Restorative Justice in CO
My name is Joanne Esch; I first began working in restorative justice in 2009 at the Longmont Community Justice Partnership and have remained passionate about RJ ever since. I am currently a PhD candidate in the Communication Department at CU Boulder and my research focuses on restorative justice and implementation science. My dissertation aims to identify drivers and barriers to successful RJ implementation in criminal justice contexts. With support from the RJ Council and the assistance of implementers around the state, I am investigating questions such as:
- What does it mean to practice restorative justice “with fidelity” across diverse contexts and when addressing a wide array of community needs?
- What are the essential components of RJ practice, and what adaptations have been made to aid its uptake in particular settings?
- What implementation challenges are people encountering, what strategies are being used, and with what effects?
- Overall, what are the drivers and barriers to successful RJ implementation?
Those of you in the field are the key resource to the success of this research. If you have experience implementing RJ and would be willing to share your thoughts and experience I would love to talk with you. I am particularly interested in interviewing people who participated in the pilot and/or currently work in one of the pilot districts. Please email me with your contact information: joanne.esch@colorado.edu. Thank you!
Author
Deb Witzel