Restorative Justice Community Action

FOSTERING INDIVIDUAL GROWTH WHILE STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES THROUGH RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

ADULT COMMUNITY CONFERENCING:RJCA CREATES A FORUM IN WHICH PEOPLE IMPACTED BY CRIME MEET WITH OFFENDERS WHO COMMIT THE CRIMES TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT AND DETERMINE RESTITUTION. IT IS THROUGH THESE COMMUNITY FORUMS THAT RJCA ACHIEVES ITS PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSING MISDEMEANOR AND LOW-LEVEL FELONIES WHICH HELPS PREVENT FURTHER CRIME AND COMMUNITY DETERIORATION WHILE REPAIRING THE HARM CAUSED BY CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. RJCA ALSO PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY-BUILDING BY CREATING RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN NEIGHBORHOODS ALLOWING PEOPLE TO WORK TOGETHER TO REINFORCE NORMS OF ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR. AS REFERRED PARTICIPANTS (OFFENDERS) RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT OF THEIR BEHAVIOR, THEY RECEIVE SUPPORT AND OFTEN CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY IN POSITIVE WAYS. WITH THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL CHANGE AND COVID, THE DECLINE IN CASES CONTINUED IN FY 22. 180 ADULT OFFENDERS ENROLLED IN RJCA, A 5.3% DECREASE FROM LAST YEAR. 172 CASES WERE CONFERENCED (95.5% ATTENDANCE RATE), AND 158 SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE PROGRAM WHO WERE CONFERENCED (91.8% SUCCESS RATE). DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS, MOST AGREEMENT OUTCOMES RESULTED IN ACTIVITIES THAT COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED IN RESTRICTED SPACES. REFERRED PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED 285 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, GAVE 42 APOLOGIES, AND DONATED $170 AND 18 BAGS/ITEMS OF IN-KIND DONATIONS IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT WERE AFFECTED. THEY ALSO COMPLETED 745 HOURS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES SUCH AS WORKING ON EDUCATION (GED) OR WRITING REFLECTION ESSAYS. THIS YEAR, 405 COMMUNITY MEMBER PARTICIPATIONS BY 76 VOLUNTEERS WHO MET ON ZOOM WITH RJCA STAFF FACILITATORS. DURING COVID, WE HELD 2-4 CONFERENCES A WEEK WITH LIMITED PARTICIPATION OF 1 REFERRED PARTICIPANT (OFFENDER), 2 COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND 1 STAFF FACILITATOR. WE ALSO HAD INCREASED INTEREST IN OUR WORK AND PROVIDED SPOTS FOR 2 OBSERVERS PER CONFERENCE WHERE THE REFERRED PARTICIPANT ALLOWED. THIS HELPED US INCREASE OUR VOLUNTEER POOL FOR THOSE WHO FELT COMFORTABLE UTILIZING ZOOM. WE WERE ABLE TO HOLD A FEW CONFERENCES IN AN OUTSIDE SPACE DURING WARMER WEATHER.

YOUTH PROGRAM--COMMUNITY CONFERENCING AND CIRCLES:RJCA CREATES A FORUM IN WHICH PEOPLE IMPACTED BY CRIMES MEET WITH OFFENDERS WHO COMMIT THE CRIMES TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT AND DETERMINE RESTITUTION. IN FY22, THE YOUTH CASES REMAINED ABOUT THE SAME. THIS YEAR, 59 YOUTH OFFENDERS ENROLLED AND CONFERENCED, AND 55 SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE PROGRAM (93.2% SUCCESS RATE). DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS, MOST AGREEMENT OUTCOMES RESULTED IN ACTIVITIES THAT COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED IN RESTRICTED SPACES. REFERRED PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED 25 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND GAVE 19 APOLOGIES IN COMMUNITIES THAT WERE AFFECTED. THEY ALSO COMPLETED 197 HOURS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES SUCH AS WORKING WITH A TUTOR, CREATING A GRADUATION PLAN, ATTENDING ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES OR WRITING REFLECTION ESSAYS. 14 VOLUNTEERS COMPLETED 59 COMMUNITY MEMBER PARTICIPATIONS AND 21 TRAINED VOLUNTEER FACILITATIONS (MSW INTERNS) OCCURRED IN FY 22. ALONG WITH THE REFERRED YOUTH, 27 FAMILY MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS MET FACE-TO-FACE WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THE CONFERENCES HELD. (FAMILY MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS ARE COUNTED DURING YEAR OF CONFERENCE. CASES ARE EVALUATED WHEN CLOSED DURING FY 22).THE YOUTH RESTORATIVE JUSTICE DISPOSITION PROGRAM WHICH STARTED FORMALLY IN JUNE 2020, SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED 14 CASES OF 19 ENROLLED (73.6%) WITH 6 COMMUNITY CIRCLE KEEPERS AND 5 STAFF PERSONS. IN FY22, 35 YOUTH WERE ENROLLED, 22 SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED (62.8%). 14 COMMUNITY CIRCLE KEEPERS AND 5 STAFF CIRCLE KEEPERS HELD 189 CIRCLES WITH YOUTH AND THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEM, INCLUDING FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, MENTORS AND ASSIGNED PO.