The name of the blog is RJOB, the acronym for Restorative Justice Online Blog. It is pronounced “Our Job” to remind us that it is up to us to develop, expand, evaluate and strengthen restorative justice theory and practice.
Commenting on an RJOB entry. To comment on an entry:
Submitting new RJOB entries. Some entries are original,
submitted regularly by correspondents (see biographies on the right) or
by guest authors on an occasional basis. Others come from a variety of
sources: news articles, blogs, newsletters, journals, professional
magazines and so forth.
If you would like to submit a short article or book review for
consideration as a blog entry, please send it to lparker@pfi.org or
dvanness@pfi.org. These must be related to the
restorative justice movement.
Typically, blog entries will be between 200 and 500
words.
Book reviews will generally be between 500 and 1000 words and are more descriptive than critical in nature.
Readers are welcome to submit longer articles or
papers for consideration. The editors may include them in the full-text
listing page found in the sites resource section. If so, they will also be
summarized in RJOB with a link to the full-text article and added to the resource library.
Customs. The following customs are intended to help RJOB discussions reflect four key values of restorative justice: respect,
solidarity, active responsibility and peaceful social life.
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Speak up when you believe another person's position is incorrect,
misguided or incomplete. Rather than trying to defeat
them, however, point out where their position needs correction, redirection or
completion.
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Ask questions only when you would like answers. Loaded or rhetorical
questions designed primarily to make a point would be better expressed as
affirmative statements.
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Periodically remind yourself (and if necessary, others) of the common
objective of RJOB, which is to better understand the
possibilities and limitations of restorative justice. Better understanding is
more important than scoring points or winning arguments; it is also more
important than avoiding conflict to maintain a false peace.
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Comment on an entry to address the topic it raises and to make new points
on that topic. Multiple comments saying the same thing, or comments on
unrelated topics that move the discussion off course are not helpful.
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Respect those willing to disagree openly because they help us learn.
When we all agree, we are likely missing something.
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Don't use profanity, name-calling, sarcasm or mockery when
interacting with others, even if it is directed at people or positions outside
of the discussions.
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When you decide you have been wrong, admit it (and apologize, if
necessary). When you believe you are right, do not pretend to be wrong to create
a false consensus.
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Be succinct and courteous in your comments. Both show respect to the
others in the discussion.
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Cite your sources with links or other references if you can. Research and
opinion can be very helpful to others, but they are most helpful when cited in
such a way that others can consult them as well.
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Sometimes it is better not to comment right away, especially if you
are angry, drunk, emotional or otherwise likely to say something you will regret
later. Wait 24 hours and see what you think.
If you notice problems,
please let us know (dvanness@pfi.org or lparker@pfi.org). If you feel that we should add to or
modify these customs, let us know that as well.
Two helpful sources on
this topic are Gina Tripani's Lifehacker's Guide to Weblog Comments and the Harris
brothers' Harris Protocols.
Discussions are moderated. Until we are able to get better spam control, we will be moderating comments. We think that this can be done with minimal delay, but it is why you won't see your comment instantly after submitting it.
Disclaimer. The views expressed in the posts and comments of this blog do not
necessarily reflect those of Prison Fellowship International or its affiliates. They should be
understood as the personal opinions of the author. No information on
this blog will be understood as official.
Comment Policy. All readers are encouraged to leave comments. While all points of
view are welcome, only comments that are courteous and
on-topic will be posted. Comments from
readers under the age of 13
will not be posted, due to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
(COPPA). PFI reserves the right to post comments at its discretion.
Spam and comments endorsing commercial products or services will not be
posted.
Participants on this blog are fully responsible for everything that
they submit in their comments, and all posted comments are in the
public domain.
Privacy Notice. Any email addresses, names, or contact information received through
this blog will not be shared or sold to anyone outside of PFI, unless required by law enforcement investigation.
Linking Policy. This blog may contain external links to other sites. We do not
control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or
completeness of information on other sites. Links
to particular items in hypertext are not intended as endorsements of
any views expressed, products or services offered on outside sites, or
the organizations sponsoring those sites.
