Restorative Justice Final

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Criminology

The study of crime and criminal behavior

Criminal Justice

The organizations and workings of the law, law enforcement, the courts and corrections

Restorative Justice

A philosophy and practice that involves victim-offender reconciliation and individual & social healing

Retributive Justice

A system of criminal justice based on the punishment of offenders rather than rehabilitation

Transformative Justice

A philosophy and practice that challenges systemic inequities that cause harm and seeks structural change that heals and supports individuals and communities.

National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ) –

The major national organization that promotes the principles and practices of Restorative Justice.

The last national conference was in D.C. in July, 2024, where over 1900 people attended – the largest such gathering in history. The next national conference, July 7-10, 2026, will be in New Orleans.

NACRJ Statement

“We envision a safe and equitable world where restorative interactions transform individuals, relationships, communities and systems through the prevention, repair and deep healing of harm.”

Heather Thompson Address Summary

1995 her brother was killed, she was angry and sad, she went on a path of forgiveness. Bryan was the killer. He was gay…was a reason they believed he was killed. True justice was about healing and finding a way to move forward. Partook in a victim offender dialogue. Found a career in RJ to help others through difficult times. Her son also implements these practices in his school.

Principles/Practices of RJ #1

5 Principles

1. Focus on the harmed first, but, also focus on the harms of the community and the offender of the crime

2. Address obligations resulting from those harms

3. Use inclusive processes

4. Involve those with a stake in the situation such as the victims, offenders, community, and society

5. Seek to repair the harm as much as possible

Practices (Three major ones they tend to mix)

1. Victim offender conferences

2. Family group conferences

3. Circle processes

Three Pillars of RJ #1

1. Restorative justice focuses on harm

2. Wrongs or harms result in obligations

3. Restorative Justice promotes engagement or participation

Petey Greene Program - Lynne Sullivan

The Petey Greene Program supports the academic and career goals of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people through high-quality tutoring and other educational programs while serving to educate our volunteers and the public on the manifest injustice in our carceral system.

Amanda Highlights

• Using the term prisoner is seen as offensive

• 18th century earliest possible modern prison

• Victim is not always totally innocent and the offender might have had previous wrongdoing

• Prison abolitionists

• Transformative justice wants to put an end to prisons

• Restorative justice doesn’t go that far

Page 80 quote

“I believe in ideals. Much of the time we fall short of them, but they remain a beacon, something toward which to aim, something against which to test our actions. They point a direction. Only with a sense of direction can we know when we are off the path.”

Circle Up Notes

• Janet’s son, Joel, was 19 when he was stabbed in the heart and killed

• He sold weed and was suspected to be involved in some sort of altercation

• The justice system and the court depicted Joel as this drug dealer and basically said that the jury was fed images for why he deserved it

• ¾ men involved in the killed were put in 8 to 20 years

• She was furious over the fourth person getting out as she knew that was her sons killer

• “Hold them to humanity I hold them accountable”

• AJ was one of the convicted offenders, was serving a 10 year sentence, Janet held a one year petition w/ Mass Dept of Corrections to meet AJ

• Ended up being the first victim offender dialogue in Mass

• It took him 3-4 years after the meeting to truly understand, after that he sent a letter to her stating that he’s trying to gain all of her forgiveness

• Single motherhood originally brought her to RJ

• Janet began to go to peacemaking circles from indigenous tradition

Restorative Justice is a river

Restorative justice is fluid as it shapes and molds into what the situation needs it to be. RJ is never stagnant either as moving is required to keep going.

Restorative Justice is a way of life

If you practice RJ then you can shape your life restoratively. It happens in your day to day life and you can just choose to practice it outside of the justice system.

Ten Ways to live Restoratively

1. Take relationships seriously, interconnected web

2. Try to be aware of the impact your actions on others and the environment

3. Take responsibility for actions that had negative impact on others and try to repair the harm.

4. Treat everyone respectfully, regardless of the situation

5. Involve those affected by a decision, involve them in the decision-making process

6. View conflicts and harms as opportunities

7. Listen deeply to others seek to understand even when you don’t agree

8. Engage is speaking even if its difficult just remain open to learning

9. Be cautious about imposing your “truths” or ideas

10. Sensitively confront injustices such as sexism, homophobia, etc.

Circle Process

The circle process is a storytelling process every person has a story and lesson to offer. The philosophy of the circle is that we all need help and helping others helps us at the same time. Its involved in the roots of many traditions.

Elements include: developing plans and coming to a consensus, becoming acquainted or comfortable with one another, talking about the content or issue, and building understanding around that topic

Research Summaries for VOC #1

Victim who participated in a face to face encounter were more likely (79%) to be satisfied with the justice system rather than no face to face encounter(57%). 90% of victims were satisfied with the mediation process. After meeting offenders, victims were less fearful of being revictimized. Victims felt more empowered, involved in the justice process, and having a sense of healing.

Research Summaries for VOC #2

91% of offenders felt satisfied with the mediation process. Telling the victim what happened, apologizing, and paying restitution were important. Positives expressed by offenders include dealing with their feelings, getting a second chance, apologizing, and going through comfortable mediation sessions.

Research Summaries for VOC #3

Youths reoffend less in the juvenile VOC compared to the control group and the crimes they commit tend to be less serious as well. The public prefers consequences that pay restitution and hold offenders accountable to the victims and the community.

Research Summaries for VOC #4

2007 research looked at 36 studies worldwide

They found restorative justice substantially reduces repeat offending for some offenders but not all. No study show an increase in offending. Restorative justice more consistently reduces repeat offending with violent crimes than with less serious crimes.

Victims tend to deal with trauma better than victims who don’t receive RJ.

RJ provides both victims and offenders more satisfaction compared to the normal justice system.

More offenses can be brought to justice through RJ.

The evidence for RJ is extensive and positive compared to other national justice policies

Even if RJ doesn’t reduce crime, it is still helpful to victims

Visiting Room Project/ Women’s Prison Project

First person testimonials to try and help share that 5000 prisoners in Louisiana are serving life w/o the possibility of parole. They connected with the Women’s prison project who serve women incarcerated in jail to make videos about the women who shared their stories with us. They relate to restorative justice because they shift the focus from punishment to understanding.

Seven Goals/ Seven Principles of FGC

Goals

1. Diversion

2. Accountability

3. Victim Involvement

4. Family Empowerment

5. Consensus decision-making

6. Cultural Appropriateness

7. Due Process

Principles

1. Avoid Criminal Proceedings

2. Don’t use justice assistance

3. strengthen families

4. Keep offenders in community

5. Take age into account

6. Use least restrictive option

7. Consider victim interests

Transformational Prison Project

Hurt people hurt people. Healed people heal people. Hazma and Sarah developed a relationship through the prisons while Hazma was incarcerated. They shared about that relationship that was built and talked about Hazmas story.

Chandra Banks

A mediator and an advocate for Restorative Justice I would describe her during our class as a person who “Lives restoratively”. She talked about how 85% of the people she worked with were good but the 15% is where she wanted to improve upon. She worked in a school and now does circles all the time. Its about the value system not the actual circle and trust should be established prior to the circle. I liked how she described bringing in mediators from different backgrounds to show the people in the circle that they can solve their problem too.

Legendary Legacies

Is a gang rehabilitation program as well as an aid to those formerly incarcerated. From the speakers and them all having background or experience incarcerated to see where they were then. Multiple of the speakers took on religion as a part of the healing process and they started to address problems they realized caused their actions in the past. The basketball league seemed like a really cool and funny idea.

Families for Justice as Healing

Building up people, not prisons. They spoke about their stories and how they have been running this program. They talked about the difficulties of trying to stop the increase in prisons and spoke up about how politicians liked to coin their work as something they did.

Supreme Hassan

Spoke of his story growing up in drug infested NYC. He talked about his time as a drug dealer and his involvement as a young age. He reflected on his time in prison and how the community from a young age failed him as he grew up in an environment where he thought it was the normal thing to do. Reflected on his time in prison and how it changed him for the better through the groups that he joined and established while in prison. Spoke on the struggles of being raised in the school-prison pipeline. Accountability, Transparency, Integrity.

Vermont Law

Offers great CJ programs and is on a beautiful campus. Many opt online and such.

TRC

Truth and Reconciliation committee held in South Africa for families after the Apartheid took place. Mandela and Tutu initiated it.