Behind Prison Walls: Resolving Losses

Source: (2002) Paper presented at “Dreaming of a New Reality,” the Third International Conference on Conferencing,
Circles and other Restorative Practices, August 8-10, 2002, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Behind Prison Walls: Resolving Losses�? is an innovative eight-week program at the medium-security provincial institution in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, in which men, close to their release date, choose to discuss unresolved personal losses. Often, as they come to grips with life situations in which they were victims, they are able to begin to understand the reasons for their actions and accept responsibility for the impact that behaviour has on others. The purpose is to prepare participants for a reconciliation conference with their victims using the Real Justice model. Although this program offers a multi-faith chaplaincy focus for the reintegration of ex-offenders into the community, it can easily be adapted to any group in which individuals are dealing with unresolved losses and willing to accept responsibility for their actions.