RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

What makes it different?

Restorative Justice means a person who has caused harm takes accountability for his or her actions and, though plans and/or agreements with those who were harmed, works to restore a sense of safety and rebuild trust as much as possible.

Those who have caused harm, have an obligation to make things right as much as they can. Most importantly, they need to focus on repairing the harm to the victims of their action. A restorative process empowers people who have been harmed to take part in a variety of ways; they are able to tell their story, express their concerns, and ask questions. Those who have caused harm are given opportunities to better understand the effect of their actions on individuals and the community, and to develop plans on what they need to do to take responsibility and repair what they can.

Restorative Justice vs. Criminal Justice

WHAT IS CoSA?

Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) have been used to increase post-release reintegration potential for high-risk/need sexual offenders returning to the community for more than 20 years. In spite of methodological difficulties associated with evaluating citizen-led interventions, available evidence (Canada, UK, USA) has consistently demonstrated that offenders in a CoSA are less likely to experience post-release difficulties than matched comparison subjects who do not participate. Qualitative investigations (the Netherlands, New Zealand, USA) have recently started to unpack the sociology and psychology of CoSA, to the extent that we now have a better understanding of the social and clinical aspects of participation in the model. This poster will outline new findings from Vermont demonstrating the utility of the CoSA model, both in terms of reductions in recidivism for sexual, violent, and general offenders and the development of a unique community based network of services seeking to promote restoration

Seeking to Resolve Conflict

Restorative justice seeks to manage and resolve conflict in a way that keeps communities together. Through changing our perspectives and expectations on how we manage conflict, it is our hope to bring our community and its members closer, creating a better place for all to live and thrive.

For more information, please visit one of our many community partners, the Agency of Human Services Department of Corrections

It contains tips on what to do, what not to do, and some insights on small steps you can take in resolving conflict.