Our Services
At the Restorative Justice Center, we offer a number of restorative justice programs, which bring together offenders, victims, and others who were harmed by the offender’s actions, deal with the consequences of a harmful event, and come to an agreement on how best to repair the harm.
We offer victim-sensitive problem-solving conferencing that demonstrates how a community can constructively resolve their own problems when provided with a forum to do so. Restorative justice conferencing can have positive benefits for all involved, and can be offered at any time during the criminal justice process, including:
- As a diversion when the youth is taken in by MPD
- As the youth is processed through the judiciary system
- During incarceration/probation period
- After release from incarceration/probation
Victim-Offender Conferencing
Victim-Offender Conferencing is a process designed to hold offenders directly accountable to the person that they have harmed. The conferencing process brings victims and offenders together in a safe and structured environment, giving victims a chance to express how the incident affected them, get answers to their questions about what happened, and allowing them to be involved in the restitution or accountability process.
Victim Offender Conferencing is designed to give victims a voice and provides them the opportunity be involved in the process of finding a way to make things right, identifying what offenders can do to repair the harm that has been done.
If you would be like to set up a Victim-Offender conference, please email us at info@nvcnextgen.org. Please be sure to provide a description of the conflict and the parties involved in your email.
Restorative Dialogue
A Restorative Dialogue is a one-sided restorative offer that is used when only the victim or only the offender is willing to pursue a restorative solution.
In a Restorative Dialogue, we meet with the willing party and hold a dialogue for up to two hours to explore the event and the harm it has caused, and collaborate with them to devise a restorative plan of how the harm could be repaired. This plan can then be sent to the other party and/or the applicable judiciary bodies in the form of a request for their consideration, ideally leading to a Victim-Offender Conference or Full Restorative Conference.
Regardless of the other party’s willingness to participate, a Restorative Dialogue can be very beneficial for the victim or offender. It allows offenders to voluntarily take responsibility for what they have done and helps them to change their future behavior, and affords victims the opportunity to tell their story and helps them to figure out how they can recover from the event and move forward.
If you would be like to set up a Restorative Dialogue, please email us at info@nvcnextgen.org.
Re-Entry Circle
This restorative circle is used when an offender is about to re-enter a community after being absent for a time (e.g. being in prison, on suspension from school, or after a hearing).
A Re-Entry Circle begins with a pre-conference with all persons who will be attending, including caseworkers, probation or parole officers, and other parties as needed. We determine what parties will attend by talking to the victim and the offender separately, and asking each who they feel needs to be in attendance. We then hold additional interviews with each proposed participant, and ask them who else they feel should attend, until we establish the circle.
The goal of the circle is to re-explore the event in a manner where all voices are heard, and the victim, offender, and community can all express their needs and get their questions answered. This process facilitates a harmonious return in which the offender can be re-accepted as a member of the community, rather than a return awash in disconnection and hostility.
The support an acceptance afforded by this Re-Entry Circle process aids offender’s successful re-integration into the community and makes them less likely to return to their old, harmful habits.
If would be interested in a Re-Entry Circle, please email us at info@nvcnextgen.org.
Non-Violent Communication Training
The language, skills, and values of Non-Violent Communication (NVC) are key to our Restorative Justice practices.
NVC is designed to facilitate connection with ourselves and others, allowing us to operate from a place of empathy and compassion by exploring and understanding our feelings and universal needs. The skills and language of NVC will help improve your ability to effectively communicate and connect with those around you allowing for deeper, more rewarding relationships, and peaceful, mutually-beneficial conflict resolution.
To learn more about training in Nonviolent Communication please send us an email at info@nvcnextgen.org