From death row to elusive freedom
October 1, 2010
With the other exonerated death-row survivors I work with, we often talk about our mutual feeling of never feeling really free. Death row is a special hell for innocent people. We were going to be murdered as punishment for crimes we did not commit. And we were the lucky ones who were...
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Free online course about conflict resolution, mediation, peer support, as well as strategies for improving the school and classroom climate, from 5 October to 9 November.
October 1, 2010
Expected time involvement: 30 hours in total. There is also an option for participants to register with the University of Surrey and gain academic credit for this course. To register for the course please contact Helen Cowie (H.Cowie@surrey.ac.uk) or Pat Colliety (P.Colliety@surrey.ac.uk)....
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Final report from the International Conference on Restorative Justice and Victim-Offender Mediation
October 1, 2010
The goals of this Conference were to: Explain the benefits of Restorative Justice and victim-offender mediation to all the citizens and let the citizens know that the Victim-offender mediation service in Castilla y León exists so that they can decide whether they want to solve their problem...
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Response by Dr Martin Wright to European Commission consultation document: Taking action on rights, support and protection of victims of crime and violence
September 30, 2010
I. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. What are the main obstacles and problems faced by victims of crime or violence in relation to the five categories of needs (Recognition, Protection, Support, Access to Justice, Compensation and Restoration)? a) Recognition: Criminal justice personnel should...
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Resolution by consensus
September 28, 2010
…Resolutions are built by consensus, said Lori Brown, coordinator of the Children’s Home Models for Change Initiative. “It doesn’t mean everybody has to love the outcome, it does mean everybody has to live with the outcome and agree not to sabotage it.” Wetzel, of...
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The story of a wounded healer
September 28, 2010
At the age of 16 years I found myself in Mt Eden Women’s prison in Auckland, having already been shifted around a number of the country’s maximum security girl’s homes.This was the early stages of what went on to become a 25-year cycle of crime and drug addiction...
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Restorative Services: Bringing a Framework for Improved School Culture to Public Schools
September 21, 2010
…The Bethlehem Area School District in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, engaged CSF Buxmont’s Restorative Services program during spring 2010. Restorative Services facilitator Elizabeth Smull provided expertise in restorative practices for six hours a week in three emotional support...
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Reconciliation Village Hosts Victims, Perpetrators of Rwandan Genocide
September 20, 2010
…In 2005, Mukamana was selected to move into a Reconciliation Village, located some 30 kilometers south of the Rwandan capital Kigali. The village is funded by the non-profit Christian organization Prison Fellowship International, under the condition that survivors and perpetrators of...
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Victim Support: The SORI Programme and Restorative Justice
September 20, 2010
…The Supporting Offenders Through Restoration Inside programme (SORI), which we deliver in partnership with Cardiff Prison, uses some of these approaches (including presentation afternoons). Here, offenders meet with victims and members of the wider community, explain their actions and...
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Victim shows compassion for bat-wielding assailant in Coupeville attack
September 17, 2010
Marti struck 22-year-old Stephen Fanelli over the head with a baseball bat at a teenaged drinking party in Coupeville April 10. In court, Prosecutor Greg Banks said Marti overreacted and “unreasonably believed†that he needed to protect his friend from Fanelli. Banks said that...
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An update on Greg Wilhoit
September 16, 2010
Lastly, we also have heard from Greg’s family that the legal appeals on behalf of Greg to seek compensation from the state of Oklahoma for his wrongful conviction and imprisonment on death row have again been denied. These appeals for compensation have been hard...
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Community Groups Urged to Apply for Restorative Justice Grants
September 16, 2010
Restorative justice programs address both the harm to victims and the community caused by crime, and the root causes of crime. These programs are an alternative or supplement to any sentence resulting from the crime, and can be initiated at any time during the criminal justice process. ...
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Violence begets more violence
September 15, 2010
…The week’s activities were organized by Restorative Rochester, a voluntary association of organizations and individuals, through the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence at the University of Rochester. Barter has been sharing his concepts and training groups on how to implement...
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Restorative Justice with stranger or acquaintance victims, different angles apply.
September 15, 2010
Outcomes – it is so important to understand what victims want out of the process. In incidents of strangers I see people shift. For example the victim that thought the juvenile was just an unsupervised tart. When the victim meets the family and learns more about the...
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