Restorative Justice Signposts

I was given a bookmark with a list of what Harry Mika and Howard Zehr call the Restorative Justice Signposts. They are essential in understanding what restorative justice is, and what it is not...

We are working toward restorative justice when we...

• focus on the harms of wrongdoing more than the rules that have been broken,
• show equal concern and commitment to victims and offenders, involving both in the process of justice,
• work toward the restoration of victims, empowering them and responding to their needs as they see them,
• support offenders while encouraging them to understand, accept and carry out their obligations,
• recognize that while obligations may be difficult for offenders, they should not be intended as harms and they must be achievable,
• provide opportunities for dialogue, direct or indirect, between victims and offenders if appropriate,
• involve and empower the affected community through the justice process, and increase its capacity to recognize and respond to community bases of crime,
• encourage collaboration and reintegration rather than coercion and isolation,
• give attention to the unintended consequences of our actions and programs,
• show respect to all parties including victims, offenders and justice colleagues.

Crime wounds... Justice heals

Community Voice Reflection

I had the opportunity to participate in my second conference with SLRJP this April as a community voice volunteer. One of the things that make restorative conferences so valuable is that those that were impacted by the crime (both directly and indirectly) have an opportunity to speak. This includes members of the community.

As a representative of the community it is my task during the conference to show young people the bigger picture, so to speak. To help them understand that their actions did not just impact themselves or their family, but has an effect on the community at large, whether I know the youth or not. If the crime is shoplifting, community members can speak to the added costs that are placed on paying customers. If it's graffiti or property destruction, they can discuss the anxiety they have about the security of their own property.

One thing that I have been struck by in both conferences that I have participated in is the limited voice that youth bring to the process. Not because they aren't given the opportunity, but because they don't seem to know what to say. Often times, the words heard most often are "I don't know." This experience is not new to me. In my professional work with youth, I often get the same response (or lack of response) when asking them about what they think or want or feel. Restorative conferences are one of the few responses to youth (mis)behavior that are rooted in hearing from the young people themselves. I have often heard adults ask youth "What were you thinking?!", but I've rarely seen them wait to hear the answer.

I am currently reading the book Peacemaking Circles & Urban Youth: Bringing Justice Home by Carolyn Boyes-Watson. There is a quote from a staff member at an organization named Roca that really resonated with me about the lack of voices among the young people I have worked with in all different capacities. She stated:

Young people got so much to say, but they've been neglected for so many years-- just left out on the street. They want to talk to people, and they want to share this stuff and their pain, and yet they don't know how to do it in a good way.

This statement embodies why I have become so passionate about restorative justice. Whether in the justice system or school, our society is designed to identify the wrong-doer and punish them. In that process, neither the causer of harm, nor those that were harmed are given much opportunity to give voice to the wrongs that have happened and the lessons learned. With restorative conferencing, all parties are brought together to talk about what happened. Both sides must sit in a circle and may actually begin to "see" each other for the first time. Offenders will find out how deeply their actions impacted the victims and they, in turn, will no longer just see the crime that was committed but the person that made a poor choice.

Though not always the case, restorative conferences offer all parties involved an opportunity for healing, redemption and possibly closure. Unfortunately, our current standard of justice leaves many of those things behind.

MN Daily Article about SLRJP

I recently spoke with a writer at the Minnesota Daily about my volunteer work with the Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice Partnership for the story below:

Local program helps youth offenders repair harm done in communities

Why Restorative Justice?

When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to work with other adults and youth in my community to start a youth organization. One day I got a postcard in the mail, advertising free pizza and the chance to talk about what changes I would like to see in my community for young people. I went to the meeting and ended up volunteering to be a youth member of the Board of Directors. During that first year, I attended monthly meetings and took the time to make sure the youth perspective was included in all of the preliminary planning and development of the organization.

In my second year on the board, as a senior in high school, I was nominated by the adult members to be the Vice President. At the time, I didn't want to accept the nomination. What could I, as a high schooler, possibly know about being the Vice President on a board? After some convincing from the adults that believed in me, I accepted the nomination and spent the next year in an unexpected leadership role.

That experience was one of the most significant in my life, because it sent me on the path toward youth development. I found a passion in the work I was doing and wanted to open other youth organizations and help other kids. The piece that I didn't think much about, at the time, was how significant an opportunity it was to sit at a table with adults as an equal. I was able to raise questions, concerns or ideas as anyone else could, and know that my perspective was valued by others.

It wasn't until I began my minor in Youth Studies at the University of Minnesota, that I was able to truly appreciate the gift I had been given. I was able to reflect about my own significance as a young person in my community and recognize the important role adults had played in supporting that discovery. I decided that I wanted to be one of those adults.

I initially learned a lot about youth empowerment as it relates to civic engagement. One of my professors told me about the "Ladder of Participation".

Learning about the Ladder of Participation gave me a perspective of how to work with young people in an authentic way when it comes to decision making. Although I really like this theoretical perspective and it has been influential in how I think about youth work, it has not been something that I have utilized in my current work. Hart's ladder is a powerful way to think about organizational development and strategy, which means that it it is most effective when implemented by leaders in the organization. It is something that must be embraced from above in order to be truly effective. I have great aspirations to be one of those leaders and will someday implement the Ladder of Participation when developing my own organizational strategies.

What I like about restorative justice is that it doesn't require leadership from the top in order to be effective. It can be utilized by frontline youth workers in a variety of different situations to develop a sense of equality and belonging. All participants are considered equal, regardless of age, gender, education level or socio-economic status, which creates a authentic space for "youth initiated, shared decisions with adults" (rung 8) to exist. Even if an organization does not have the cultural inclination or structure to give young people the opportunity for decision making, youth workers can still look to restorative measures as a means of creating a space where all voices are heard, responded to and respected.

Energized and Ready to Go!

As I am starting this new learning experience I am feeling motivated and energized to learn. That's always a good sign! I will be using this blog to chronicle my thoughts about readings and activities I participate in and will also share information that I find helpful or important. Some postings may be short and others quite long, some may ask questions and others answer, but my hope is that this will be an opportunity to dialogue aloud (sorta) some of the thoughts and feelings I have along the way.

My Proposal

Proposed Field Experience:

Explore restorative justice (RJ) practices in the state of Minnesota that work to reconnect young people to their home or school community.

Field Experience Purpose and Goals:

• Read more about restorative practices specifically targeted at young people. What are some best practices? What hasn’t been successful? How are RJ practices modified to different environments or purposes? What areas of the field are growing (schools, juvenile justice, etc)? Who is utilizing RJ with young people in Minnesota?
• Get trained as a conference facilitator and participate in RJ conferences both as a facilitator and community member.
• Attend training about restorative measures in Minnesota schools
• Interview young people about their experience with RJ processes and find out how that compares to other punitive consequences they have received (suspensions, court sentences, etc). Do they feel a greater connection to their community because of their experience with a circle/conference? Has the circle process had an impact on the decisions they have/will make moving forward?

Rationale for Project Selection:

Restorative justice has found its way into my life on both a personal and professional level. I was introduced to the RJ field last spring during a project for a YDL class. I was instantly drawn to the idea and felt that it was an approach that would be very beneficial to the young people that I work with. Shortly after that, I discovered a program in my own neighborhood, the Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice Partnership (SLRJP) that was seeking community members to participate in RJ conferences for first time juvenile offenders. I signed up to volunteer right away. In addition to my experience with this program, I have become increasingly interested in how RJ practices can/are being used in schools as an alternative to suspension. In my professional experience as an educational support advocate, I’ve seen too many young people receive suspensions and I’ve been dismayed to see very few practices in place to reconnect those students to their school after the offense. A sense of connection with one’s school is a major indicator of whether a student drops out or not and I believe schools are doing a disservice to young people by sending the message (through suspension) that “we don’t want you here”. I would also like to learn more about RJ practices so that I can be a better advocate for the young people I currently work with. In addition, I’m hoping to enhance my leadership abilities in this area so that in the future I can work with schools to implement RJ circles as a means of reducing suspension rates and increasing graduation rates.

Action Plan:

· April 2010

o Complete proposal and send to YDL faculty and supervisor for approval (5 hrs)

o Meet with Michele Braley to discuss project on monthly basis (4 hrs)

o Set-up blog and begin reflections on readings, trainings and other experiences (30 hrs total)

o Begin researching RJ practices for young people, including all readings and online research (30 hrs)

o Attend SLRJP Advisory Committee meeting (1.5 hrs)

o Attend Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) public forum on juvenile justice reform (4 hrs)

o Participate in youth conference as the community voice (2 hrs)

· May 2010

o Attend Executive Meeting May 5 (1.5 hrs)

o Attend SLRJP Advisory Committee meeting (1.5 hrs)

o Attend SLRJP Youth Circle if determined appropriate, otherwise attend adult circle at Epworth Church (2 hrs)

o Participate in RJ facilitator training (22 hrs)

· June 2010

o Participate in youth conference as a facilitator (5 hrs)

o Attend SLRJP Advisory Committee meeting (1.5 hrs)

o Attend SLRJP Youth Circle if determined appropriate, otherwise attend adult circle at Epworth Church (2 hrs)

o Attend Restorative Measures Seminar sponsored by the MN Dept. of Education (40 hrs—week long training)

· July 2010

o Research strategies to engage corporate businesses in the RJ process for SLRJP referrals as the ‘victim’ (15 hrs)

o Identify and interview 2-4 young people about the RJ process if appropriate, otherwise work with SLRJP program to modify “scripts” that are used for youth conferences (8 hrs)

· August 2010

o Write a brief report summarizing the state of RJ practices in MN and discuss next steps (5 hrs)

Proposed Readings:

Articles:

Numerous articles by Nancy Riestenberg including:

· Applying the Framework: Positive Youth Development and Restorative Practices

· Beyond Zero Tolerance: Restoring Justice in Secondary Schools

· PEASE Academy: The Restorative Recovery School

Reclaiming Youth: What Restorative Practices Add to the Thinking—Beth Rodman

Restorative Justice as Strength-Based Accountability—Robert Ball

From Restorative Justice to Restorative Practices: Expanding the Paradigm

Websites:

· MN Department of Corrections: http://www.corr.state.mn.us/rj/Schools-youth.htm

· MN Restorative Services Coalition (MRSC): http://www.mnmrsc.org/index.html

· Restorative Justice Community Action: http://www.rjca-inc.org

· UMN, Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/ssw/rjp/

· Living Justice Press: www.livingjusticepress.org

Books:

· Youth Justice: Critical Readings: Hughes, et. al.

· Restorative Juvenile Justice: Repairing the Harm of Youth Crime: Walgrave, et. al.

· Peacemaking Circles and Urban Youth: Bringing Justice Home: Carolyn Boyes-Watson

· Touching Spirit Bear: Ben Mikaelsen

· The Little Book of Restorative Justice and Peacemaking Series: Pranis, et. al.

Planned Working and Reporting Methods New to Me:

I have had a personal interest in RJ practices and have a sense, at least at a gut level, that this approach would be very successful in working with young people who have caused some kind of harm to their community. This project will give me the opportunity to examine some of the research behind RJ and its effectiveness with youth. I will plan on writing a blog that will be able to capture my thoughts about the readings and the experiences I have during this learning journey. I will also plan to write a short report about the current state of RJ in Minnesota communities and schools, where there are successes, where there are gaps, and recommendations for enhancing the work already being done.

Contributions to the Community’s Moral Compact with Youth:

Young people, more than any other group, seem to be pushed out of the communities they belong to. They are subject to suspensions at school, curfew laws in their city and even parents who might kick them out of the house. All of these things send the message to a young person that “we don’t want you here”. RJ sends the message to youth that even if you make a mistake, you are still an important member of this community and we want to take time to repair the harm that has been done. It pulls them closer rather than pushing them away. A sense of belonging is a critical element of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. A student’s sense of connection to school has a drastic impact on whether they graduate, and dropout rates are far too high. I’m sure the same can be said about the choices they make outside of the school day.

Assessment of Field Experience:

Michele and I will meet on a monthly basis to check in about the work that I am doing. I will also provide Michele with a link to my blog so she can monitor my progress toward completion of my hours. There are two potential projects that I will be working on specifically for SLRJP, including research into better strategies for engaging corporative ‘victims’ in the conference process and modifying the script that is used by facilitators in youth conferences. For each of those projects I will provide a written summary of my findings and changes.

Field Experience Supervisor and Rationale:

My field experience supervisor will be Michele Braley, MSW, LICSW, who is the Program Manager of the Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice Partnership. She coordinates youth conferences for first time offenders that are referred to by the Minneapolis Police Department. I will work with her to fulfill many of the activities I have planned and will receive guidance from her.