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International Institute for Restorative Practices Conference Papers A set of six plenary session papers from a recent restorative justice conference in Perth, New South Wales, is available to read/download at the Restorative Practices web site. The papers include Restorative Justice for Juveniles in Hong Kong, Building Safe and Healthy School Communities, The MacKillip Primary School Model of Restorative Justice, and the Family Group Conference14-Year Journey. If you are interested in or are actively involved in restorative justice programs, this series of papers will be of interest to you. A Perspective on the Origins of Family Group Conferencing - On a related subject, an American Humane Association Issue Brief on the origin of Family Group Conferencing in New Zealand. ++++++++++ South Carolina Releases a “Report Card” on the Effectiveness of Services to Juvenile Offenders The South Carolina DJJ was selected in 2003 to participate in “Performance Measures for the Juvenile Justice System: A National Demonstration Project” as the only statewide jurisdiction in the project. The report card is a new way of looking at the juvenile justice system. It incorporates restorative justice principles. The report card reports not only on the state’s juvenile justice successes, but on its failures as well. The report card is available to read at the site. ++++++++++ Family Team Conferences in Domestic Violence Cases – Guidelines for Practice These revised guidelines describe the thoughtful and safe use of Family Team Conferences for families affected by domestic violence. They are designed to provide useful information for trained FTC facilitators and FTC participants, including domestic violence advocates, batterer intervention staff, other community based service providers and extended family members. 30 page pdf file. ++++++++++ American Humane National Center on Family Group Decision Making Resources on this site include a number of Practice Tools. Among them:  | Key Decision Point matrix for the Implementation of Family Group Decision Making | | FDGM draft handbook | | Manual for Coordinators and Communities | | Permanency Toolkit: Family Group Decision Making | | Stanislaus County FDM Coordinator Checklist |
The site also provides a number of useful forms for FGDM program staff. ++++++++++ Circles of Healing This article describes the Minnesota Girls Restorative Justice Program. The program provides restorative justice services to a handful of serious and chronic female juvenile offenders committed to the state department of corrections. The program uses different types of restorative justice circles. Circles of Support bring together significant people in an offender’s life. Victim-Offender Circles bring together the victim, the offender, and both their support systems. The program also includes extensive individual and group counseling. ++++++++++ Web Tour of Restorative Justice Sites Twelve pages of web sites on restorative justice in the States and around the world. ++++++++++ Family Voices Family Voices is an 18-minute documentary about family group decision making (FGDM), a restorative approach to problem solving used worldwide that enables families to make decisions for themselves in child welfare, youth justice and other situations. The video follows nine culturally, economically and geographically diverse American families and the FGDM process. It is available from the International Institute for Restorative ++++++++++ Restorative Practices of Native American, First Nation and Other Indigenous People of North America : Part Two This is the second in a series of articles about restorative justice among Native Americans, First Nation and other indigenous people of North America . It is a broad thematic overview of the subject that relates restorative justice to the native worldview with its connection between justice and spirituality. Harmony and balance are essential to both. See Part One in the Restorative Justice section of the Brevity Subject Library. ++++++++++ Restorative Justice Practices of Native American, First Nation and Other Indigenous People of North America This is part one of a new series of articles about restorative justice practices of Native American, First Nation and other indigenous people of North America. This first segment includes interviews with three justice practitioners of the southwest United States, the Honorable Robert Yazzie, chief justice emeritus of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court; Judge Joseph Flies-Away of the Hualapai Nation; and James Zion, formerly solicitor to the Navajo Nation Courts and currently domestic abuse commissioner at Crownpoint, New Mexico, Family Court. ++++++++++ The Community Conference Center – Another Restorative Justice Application The Community Conferencing Center in Baltimore has facilitated over 500 conferences as court diversion for juvenile nonviolent offenders and juvenile first-time felony offenders. It is an alternative to school suspension, it helps to heal ongoing neighborhood conflicts and as an aid in re-entry into family and community after incarceration. CCC uses the three-part restorative justice conference structure: | Hearing what happened | | Letting everyone say how they’ve been affected by the situation | | Having the group come up with ways to repair and harm and prevent it from happening again. |
Funding comes from a variety of public and private resources and has a small staff of three who facilitate most of the program’s conferences. Out of the over 500 conferences, 99% resulted in agreements and over 90% are in compliance with those agreements. ++++++++++ New Program: Restorative Justice Without Offender Participation A restorative justice program in Hawai’i gives victims the opportunity to tell their stories in a small group setting. They can talk about how they have been affected by the crime and what might assist them in repairing the harm, without the presence of the offender. The program contends that, in situations where a shared victim and offender process is not possible, a restorative response can provide important benefits for the victim or offender, even without the other’s presence. ++++++++++ Reforming School Cultures with Restorative Practices Using restorative practices educators approach poor student behavior with more than traditional punishment. Students must meet with those they’ve wronged, explore what happened, and make necessary amends. This can happen in groups as small as three and as large as an entire class. Parents can be involved, and sometimes writing is used as a first step in getting students to think about their actions. Read about how restorative practices are applied in schools in this Philadelphia Inquirer article. Read SaferSanerSchools: Transforming School Culture with Restorative Practices ++++++++++ Family Group Conferencing in England In Hampshire County , England , FGC is being used in youth justice, education and domestic violence applications. In youth justice, FGCs are a response to offenses committed by youths and directly involve victims. A key objective of youth justice FGCs is to make young people accountable for their actions in a context that also offers support and care. The article talks about the Blair government philosophy of youth justice (more punitive, harsher) and how it has affected the use and application of FGCs. ++++++++++ Canadian Tribal Restorative Justice Program The Wet’suwet’en Unlocking Aboriginal Justice Program (WUAJ) is a community-driven restorative justice project initiated and operated by members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in northwest British Columbia . WUAJ works with a board of elders, including hereditary chiefs, that meets on a regular month basis to uncover long-standing laws and practices and have them recognized. WUAJ’s focus is on restoring balance and harmony within the community. Most of its files are related to family violence, alcohol or drugs. WUAJ is jointly funded by Canada and the provincial government of British Columbia . ++++++++++ San Diego Restorative Justice Mediation Program Ten years ago a retired school teacher and counselor started this program which relies on a cadre of highly dedicated volunteer mediators and operates on a shoestring. This newspaper article tells about two successful mediations. An evaluation by San Diego police found that only one of 50 minors diverted by officers to mediation in 2000 was arrested again in the following six months. ++++++++++ From the Office of Victims of Crime: The Restorative Justice and Mediation Collection This web page provides links to these victim-sensitive restorative justice programs: | Guidelines for Victim-Sensitive Victim-Offender Mediation: Restorative Justice Through Dialogue | | Family Group Conferencing: Implications for Crime Victims | | Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice: Potential Pitfalls and Dangers | | Directory of Victim-Offender Mediation Programs in the United States | | National Survey of Victim-Offender Mediation Programs the United States |
All five are downloadable. ++++++++++ Restorative Practices at a school/day treatment program for troubled youth in Pennsylvania The Buxmont School in Pennsylvania uses a variety of restorative practices and group processes to help young people change their behavior. Below, pages linking to an article about the school and a video that chronicles one year at the school. A Day at a CSF Buxmont School – a reporter’s view of one day at the school. The Worst School I’ve Ever Been To - Review of a video about a year at CSF Buxmont. ++++++++++ Restorative Justice in Hawaii Report on a diversion program in Hawaii for first time offenders that diverted them to restorative justice conferences. The study analyzes the effects of conferencing on participant satisfaction, offender agreement compliance, and recidivism. Results show that the victims were highly satisfied. Juvenile offenders who participated in the conferencing did not escalate arrests for violent crimes. Seven page pdf file. ++++++++++ Restorative Justice in Australia Two downloadable articles from Australia by Brenda Morrison. Bullying and victimisation in schools: a restorative justice approach This paper reports on a restorative justice program run in a primary school in the Australian Capital Territory . It highlights the importance of schools as institutions that can foster care and respect and recommends that school be supported to address bullying cause of the debilitating effect of this problem. Restorative Justice and School Violence: Building Theory and Practice In this paper Brenda Morrison provides a theoretical foundation for restorative practices as they apply to addressing bullying and violence in schools. ++++++++++ Dreaming of a New Reality – Restorative Justice Conference Report The International Institute for Restorative Practices is featuring at its site a reporter’s feature story on the organization’s latest conference, held August 8-10 in Minneapolis . While this is a lengthy article to read, it is also loaded with descriptions of innovative restorative justice programs from across the world. If you’re interested in BARJ applications take the time to read this article. ++++++++++ Restorative Justice Conferences as an Early Response to Young Offenders - OJJDP Bulletin on the benefits of restorative justice to this group of youth. Evaluation indicates that restorative justice conferencing effectively addresses the needs of many victims of offenses committed by youth and that it is a promising early intervention strategy for young, first-time offenders. 11 pages, downloadable ++++++++++ Restorative Justice On-Line Notebook - It includes definitions for community and restorative justice, an "how-to" outline for making change in your local system, fundamental restorative justice concepts, articles on aspects of restorative justice, a good resource page, and a self assessment instrument. From the Restorative Justice On-Line Notebook Guiding Principles/Values of Restorative Justice | Crime is an offense against human relationships. | | Victims and the community are central to justice processes. | | The first priority of justice processes is to assist victims. | | The second priority is to restore the community, to the degree possible. | | The offender has personal responsibility to victims and to the community for crimes committed. | | Stakeholders share responsibilities for restorative justice through partnerships for action. | | The offender will develop improved competency and understanding as a result of the restorative justice experience. |
++++++++++ The Unified Family Court: Preventive, Therapeutic and Restorative Justice for America’s Families The author of this timely and thoughtful monograph is Judge Michael A. Town, circuit court judge for the State of Hawaii and long-time active member of the National Council. Published by the California Western School Of law’s National Center for Preventive Law, the article presents both the potential benefits of applying preventive, therapeutic and restorative principles to the family court system and recommends a court structure to support them. Includes a hypothetical case study of a typical family who could appear in any of the family and juvenile courts of the country. Jargon-free and easy to read too. ++++++++++ Restorative Justice The National Council published Juvenile Probation: The Balanced Approach, the pioneering publication on restorative justice, in 1988. Within the covers of this publication you will find the original restorative justice triangle (or pyramid), presenting the prototypical equilateral triangle image of community safety, accountability, and competency development. Written by Dennis Maloney, Dennis Romig, and Troy Armstrong, The Balanced Approach is still in print and available from the Council as a Juvenile Justice Textbook Series text. Restorative justice programming spread throughout the country throughout the 1990's, community by individual community. By the mid-nineties BARJ (Balanced and Restorative Justice) was the accepted acronym for restorative justice programs. Programs, papers, how-to manuals, reports, and research multiplied and evolved until we now find restorative justice is a concept applied at diverse sites around the world. This week’s Brevity looks at one state’s applications of restorative justice principles and some interesting web sites for more information as well. Restorative Justice in the State of Hawaii Restorative Justice helps the victim become whole again - Editorial written by NCJFCJ member Judge Michael Town. Restorative Justice and the Hawai'i Judiciary: Report and Recommendations - Very good review of restorative justice principles and applications. Question/answer format answers commonly asked questions about restorative justice. Conclusions section identifies five methods for integrating restorative justice into the Judiciary. Be sure to look at Appendix 1 for a list of programs/procedures using restorative justice principles in place in Hawaii's courts. Restorative Justice Links Guide for Implementing the Balanced and Restorative Justice Model - From OJJDP, spells out in detail all the underpinnings and the steps necessary to apply restorative justice principles to juvenile justice programming. Downloadable, but load up your printer first. This is a long one. Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota contains a wealth of information, programs, and publications. If you click on the BARJ section you can look at a newsletter published twice a year and available to everyone. Restorative Justice Project at Fresno Pacific University - This site will tell you how to start a VORP (Victim Offender Reconciliation Program) and about restorative justice job openings. It includes a directory and California and Nevada victim offender programs, papers on restorative justice, and a variety of other resources. Restorative Justice On-line Notebook – This publication is from the National Institute of Justice. It can be considered as a basic primer on restorative justice principles and applications. The Australian Institute of Criminology restorative justice site includes a section on Juvenile Justice, plus a number of documents and reports. Restorative Justice Online - Brings an international perspective to restorative justice. You can see what the United Nations has been doing on restorative justice here. Here are some links to Family Group Conferencing sites from the Archives section of Brevity. See National Center on Family Group Decision Making and RealJustice. Family Group Conferencing: The National Center on Family Group Decision Making - More commonly known as family group conferencing , this site offers information and assistance to professionals seeking to apply this approach to child abuse and neglect cases. The model was developed and legislated in New Zealand beginning in 1989. It capitalizes on family strengths and involves the family in developing service plans for the care and protection of their children. See the site RealJustice - This is an interesting web site to visit. RealJustice is a restorative justice web site offering educational materials and training on the use of family group conferencing and other restorative justice applications both in the US and in a number of other countries. It conducts two-day training conferences to train participants to run Real Justice conferences. Potential participants are educators, police, probation officers, youth workers, victim services providers. It publishes books and videos as well. The videos appear to be particularly good, both as training materials and for education about family group conferencing applications. The Reading Room is a particularly good source of information. The information in it ranges from scholarly articles to newspaper accounts. Includes an interesting examination of the Navajo Peacemaking tradition and how it is being used in Navajo tribal courts and other settings. |
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