Restorative Justice In Communities

In her legacy book, Teaching Peace, Dr. Beverly Title a founding member of the RJ Council, said, “The restorative process is not a program; it is a set of principles and values. This means it can be applied anywhere...”
Applying the Restorative values of Relationship, Respect, Responsibility, Repair and Reintegration as described in Dr. Title’s seminal document, The 5Rs of Restorative Justice Practices we can see how this philosophical approach can be a supportive and healing experience for all involved.
There advanced facilitator trainings, networking groups and trained practitioners that can help restore the relationships in your group. Search the RJ Directory for facilitators, trainers and consultants who may be able to help you.
Family
Family Group Conferencing or Family Group Decision Making- is a family centered process that recognizes the importance of involving family members in family conflict resolution and decision making.
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) involves family members in decision making about children who need protection or care. They can be initiated by child welfare agencies whenever a critical decision about a child is required. In FGDM processes, a trained coordinator who is independent of the case brings together the family group and members. The processes position the family group to lead decision making and the agency agrees to support family group plans that adequately address the agency’s concerns for child safety, wellbeing, and permanency.
Family Group Conferencing (FGC) is a structured often facilitated meeting between family members and potentially supportive friends. In the facilitated process they address the harm and decide how best to repair it. Making agreements and systems to hold each other accountable the family system can be strengthened. Neither counseling nor a mediation process, conferencing is a sensitive, straightforward problem-solving method that demonstrates how families can resolve their own problems when provided with a safe way to do so.
Search the RJ Directory for facilitators, trainers and consultants who may be able to help you.
Work places
Work place conflict can be resolved using facilitated restorative practices ranging from restorative chats or dialogues to conferencing or solution circles. Human resources departments and employee assistance programs can find supportive, confidential processes to help them shift from elevated conflict situations and the need for disciplinary action to happy, connected work communities.
When trained facilitators prepare all parties to meet in a safe and equitable environment that allows all voices to be heard the power differential diminishes and humans can work together to repair harm. Search the RJ Directory for facilitators, trainers and consultants who may be able to help you.
Groups and Organizations
Whether your group is a religious organization, home owner’s association, non-profit board or staff or other group or organization in conflict, restorative practices may have something to offer you in resolving the conflict by looking at;
- What happened?
- Who has been affected and how?
- What needs to be done to make things as right as possible for all?
Engaging trained restorative justice facilitators to prepare people to come together and work through the questions above by speaking their truth and listening deeply to each other’s answers most groups find their way through the conflict to satisfying resolution.
Search the RJ Directory for facilitators, trainers and consultants who may be able to help you.
Debbie Wilde, Executive Director of YouthZone in Glenwood Springs, CO, discusses how Restorative Justice impacts communities.
Restorative Justice In Communities Works
Very well handled with excellent results. Far more productive than the usual criminal/legal proceedings. Keep this process funded.
It always feels good to make a difference.
My opinion would be that this is a good class that teaches young kids how to control themselves.
The best part about the circle is giving everyone a voice not just the judge/cop or victim. We all participated in the decision in repairing the harm. For that RJ is the best option in number of cases. Thank you
This was a great program and any shop lifters should come here! They should have more programs like this.
I participated to observe the RJ process in action and to help good kids get back on track. This was very much achieved. I also appreciated an opportunity to interact with the Lafayette PD and the other facilitators.
I wish more counties and/or states would offer programs like this, even for adults.
This was a great example of effective peer influence.
I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I felt pleasantly surprised. It was great. I felt like I (as a member of the community) had a say in the justice system. Great system!
I really didn't know what to expect, I thought it went really well. With the panel board people talking to the kids on how it affects everyone. I'm glad that we are able to speak in the circle group to tell our story, from what I seen these are good kids that made a bad mistake and get a second chance. Thanks to all the people helping these kids!
As a community member my goal was to see if the juveniles were taking responsibility for their actions. My hope is that they have a broader perspective about who was affected by what happened. Based on this conference, I very much believe that they have learned from the RJ process and that they can move forward from this in a positive way.
I feel this process could have better results for offender’s lives in the long run to learn from their mistakes and be accountable on their own action… Instead of court room process.
I felt that the experience was very helpful to myself and the offender. I'm glad that there is this program that gives a juvenile the option to correct themselves.
This process was a really good program because I think it would help everybody who attended. They treated us really good and learned a lot I would recommend to anybody who needed it.
“I was extremely impressed and moved by the safety, honesty and healing that occurred.”