Play teaches community about restorative justice

from the article by Jodi Schellenberg for Prince Albert Daily Herald:

....Theatre on the Beat, an Ontario-based group will put on the play, called Forgiven/Forgotten, in conjunction with the Mennonite Central Committee.

“It is a play that deals with an inmate who is coming out of jail and the community is in turmoil because of it,” said Ryan Siemens, reverend at Grace Mennonite Church. “It asks questions on how can we best deal or integrate an inmate in the healthiest way.”

Siemens is the chair of two restorative justice committees -- Person to Person and Circles of Support and Accountability. Person to Person is a prison visitation program the Mennonite Church has been involved with for 38 years and Circles of Support works with high-risk offenders who have been released back into society.

May 24, 2013    Offender , Support , Community , Region: North America and Caribbean , Country:Canada

Restorative justice gets boost with new spending

from the article on Radio New Zealand News:

The Government is to spend more on restorative justice conferences: $4 million of new spending over two years has been earmarked in the Budget.

The Government at present funds about 2000 restorative justice conferences each year at a cost of about $2.1 million.

May 23, 2013    Region: Pacific , Support , Country:New Zealand , Policy , Politics

Joy in the dirty work of restorative justice

from the entry by John Lash on Juvenile Justice Information Exchange:

....The tension between the study of a topic and the subsequent conversion of ideas into actual work exists in all endeavors, something I have been thinking about as I prepare a training weekend for people interested in learning about restorative justice.

There is a purity in theory, a beauty reminiscent of the idealism of Plato and Pythagoras, that is fun to engage. Working in this realm is a kind of game, fun, yet ultimately empty without the willingness to get out in the world and get dirty. In a training environment we seek to balance this tension in a way that honors both aspects of reality. We want to transmit the underlying principles while also showing how things “really” work.

May 22, 2013    Process , Region: North America and Caribbean , Country:USA , Community

Rape victim 're-victimised' by system

from the article by Joelle Dally for The Press:

It took Helena Watson more than three decades to speak out about her father's sexual abuse.

Now the Christchurch woman says she has been revictimised by restorative justice.

May 21, 2013    Case:Abuse , Region: Pacific , Country:New Zealand , Case:Sexual , Policy

An inventory and examination of restorative justice practices for youth in Illinois

from the report prepared by Kimberly S. Burke for Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority:

....Key findings include:

• Respondents reporting using restorative justice practices were found in 54 Illinois counties, and in many different types of organizations who respond to youth misconduct, including police departments, probation and court services, schools, community-based organizations, and other state and municipal departments.

May 20, 2013    Practice , Region: North America and Caribbean , Country:USA