Why go there?
January 13, 2013
….Over twenty years after the tragedy, at the invitation of a friend and neighbor, Jerry Hancock, who was conducting a Restorative Justice program at Columbia Correctional Facility in Portage, I first attended a three-day Restorative Justice “talking circle.†It was...
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Restorative justice in domestic violence cases is justice denied
January 13, 2013
….But violent crime – and, particularly, intimate partner violence – is another story. While it’s certainly not impossible to use a restorative justice model for those crimes, it’s trickier territory. Intimate partner violence is often “forgiven” by...
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Restorative justice is not enough: A new essay about school-based interventions in the carceral state
January 13, 2013
Before I make it to the main office at Lockwood Elementary1—a K–8 school in a northside Chicago neighborhood—to get the Peace Room key and sign in, two more students are assigned to me. At noon I am paged over the intercom: “Ms. C, please come to the assistant...
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More meditations on restorative justice
January 13, 2013
What I find more compelling is the hope that if any of his victims were ever tempted to perpetuate the cycle of violence he created in their lives, that they are able to stop and be mindful of how it changed them. That they could understand the impact of destructive, angry, behavior on...
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Restorative justice in government ethics
January 13, 2013
The need to repair harm done to the community is a principal reason why an ethics commission should consist not of officials or those chosen by officials, but of members of the community who have, and appear to have, no special relationship with those who will come before them, or with their...
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Restoration period
January 6, 2013
….According to Lee, “You can call it Restorative Justice 2.0.” The idea, he says, is to increase options for juveniles looking at misdemeanor charges, and even some felonies (which could include assault, burglary and a number of drug crimes), and get them into the program...
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Can forgiveness play a role in criminal justice?
January 6, 2013
The Grosmaires spoke of Ann, her life and how her death affected them. “We went from when she was being born all the way up,†Andy says. He spoke of what Ann loved to do, “like acting, and the things that were important in her life. She loved kids; she was our only daughter...
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Restorative Approaches Implementation Pack for schools
January 2, 2013
You are welcome to use any of our documents; if you wish to amend them and make them your own we are happy to send you blank copies in a suitable format for your school without our logo and signage. This pack contains four main sections … Guides:- to the many aspects of restorative...
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Review: Why Punishment? How Much?
January 2, 2013
Readers of part or all of this 2011 contribution will develop a more grounded, both historically and philosophically, picture of just how restorative ‘processes’ or practices can be related to traditional justice. The opening sentence in the book, certainly an understatement, is...
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Restorative justice practices should not be treated like a commodity
January 1, 2013
Consider that we are looking for this funding even though restorative justice approaches have been demonstrated to work more effectively at reducing youth involvement in crime as well as generating more satisfactory results for victims. Numerous studies have reached these conclusions, and to...
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Denver schools seek restorative solution to age-old truancy problem
December 31, 2012
Next, the other boy, Gadiel, confessed, “I get influenced by other kids who are ditching.” Pamela and Alexis sat quietly, engrossed in their own footwear, until Turley got to them. “I didn’t want to come to school because there were girls who threatened me,”...
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Minister overseeing justice reforms emphasizes neighbourhood justice
December 31, 2012
In the restorative justice pilot programmes, Green claimed, there was an 85% satisfaction rate from victims who had been through the process. The early stages, he added, showed a 14% reduction in the frequency of reoffending. “We have been doing this for a short amount of time and the...
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The broken family
December 24, 2012
….Despite the lack of evidence from multiple interrogations of the children, the forensic examination of Andrea and the search of the Locke home, as well as interviews with other children and parents, the County continued to detain the children from their parents and proceeded with legal...
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How to respond to violent crime? Ask the victims of crime
December 24, 2012
This statute provides for the many needs voiced by crime victims including a right to restorative justice. RJI is strongly in support of this approach and this right for all crime victims. There are many other rights in this statute that move the justice system, on the state level, towards...
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Howard Zehr shifts to leading role in new restorative justice institute
December 24, 2012
Zehr has taught restorative justice at CJP since 1996. He also served as CJP’s co-director from 2001 to 2007. Zehr, who shies away from the word “retirement,†says he always planned to stop teaching before he lost his edge, and he wants to make space for others to step in....
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