Restorative Programs & Community/State Collaboration

How does a restorative justice program balance diverse community and state resources to achieve even greater impact? Is it even possible to create a right or optimal mix of resources given these stakeholders' often misaligned roles?

Ted Lewis, Executive Director of the Barron County Restorative Justice Programs (BCRJP) in Northwest Wisconsin, thinks there is an ideal collaborative structure in which community and state actors  can engage to propel RJ programs toward greater integration and impact. His recent article, published in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's inaugural issue of the Journal of Juvenile Justice, reviews his experiences with BCRJP and its connection with various state collaborators. Detailing BCRJP's partnerships with municipal courts, police departments, schools, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Corrections, and numerous nonprofits, Ted takes a conceptual step back to consider how this 'interdependent' nonprofit balances community and stated interests for victim and offender benefit.

"A Partnership for Balancing Community and Government Resources for Juvenile Justice Services" is a quick, informative read full of intriguing info and ideas. The article outlines BCRJP's extensive service portfolio, core program statistics, and benefits, including lower rates of recidivism, reduced higher-level interventions, reintegration of youth offenders in the community, and a tangible cost savings to the county  of $378-$392 per offender. 

The complete rundown of services and statistics are being discussed on the Restorative Practices Discussion Group, an online listserve co-hosted by NAFCM and VOMA. We encourage all our restorative colleagues to join us in this free group to discuss this and other RJ research, hot button issues, and field updates. We look forward to welcoming you into the restorative conversation!

In community,

Justin R. Corbett

Executive Director, NAFCM

Restoring the Restorative Justice Conversation

Re-Enlivening & Restoring

the 

Restorative Justice Conversation!

Today we are pleased to announce a collaborative partnership with VOMA: the Victim Offender Mediation Association, to reinvigorate the rich conversations within the restorative justice community.

NAFCM and VOMA are now co-hosting the new Restorative Practices Discussion Group.  This new group is designed to connect like-minded practitioners, share resources, aggregate collected wisdom, and advance the restorative justice conversation.  We encourage those working in restorative-focused programs to explore this interactive discussion group (listserve) and lend their voices to the collegial and collaborative conversations it will now house.

VOMA's extensive history supporting restorative practitioners and programs both in the U.S. and abroad has uniquely qualified them to co-host this substantive, wide-ranging discussion group. By specializing in victim-offender mediations, conferencing, circles, and related restorative justice processes, VOMA's institutional and field knowledge will serve to elevate the Restorative Practices Discussion Group into a leading forum for professionals the world round.

Further strengthening the foundations of this new group has been the energetic participation of VOMA's Board and administrative representatives: Barbara Raye, Duane Ruth-Heffelbower, and Sheryl Wilson, each of whom supremely represent the ideals and professional dedication of VOMA and the broader restorative justice field.  Sheryl has graciously agreed to share of her wisdom and time by serving as VOMA's official representative, inspiring and moderating, along with NAFCM, the exciting conversation housed in this new discussion group.

We are excited to be working so closely with VOMA on this new resource.  NAFCM and VOMA's respective programs work side-by-side, our members are often one-and-the-same, our philosophical and practical objectives are closely aligned, and our passions to help those in conflict are beautifully in sync.  Beginning today, through the Restorative Practices Discussion Group, we now also share a common platform to convene and support restorative programs and practitioners. 

We invite you to learn more about this new group, as well as NAFCM's many other topical and geographic-focused listserves.  Take a moment to learn how to join the community's newest conversation and begin reconnecting and restoring our important voice!

In community,

Justin R. Corbett

Executive Director, NAFCM