Restorative justice stops fights, keeps kids in schools

from Nelson Garcia's article on 9News.com:

Juan Salazar used to be one of those students who got into trouble for fighting at North High School. Now he uses words instead of fists.

"If someone bumped into me, I started saying something," Salazar, a senior, said. "It always led to a fight."

It also always led to a suspension.

Mar 10, 2010    Story , School , Region: North America and Caribbean , Country:USA

Knife robber meets victim

from the article in Lancaster Guardian:

A woman who was robbed at knifepoint visited her teenage attacker in prison to receive an apology from him as part of a restorative justice project.

Police offered Zoe Harrison the chance to meet Arron Burns, 18, at Lancaster Farms, to help her bring closure to her ordeal.

Mar 10, 2010    Media , Story

Restorative Justice Facilitator Trainings

The Saint Croix Valley Restorative Justice in River Falls, WI, USA, plans to provide several training events for restorative justice facilitators in April, June and July 2010.

Mar 10, 2010    Training , Event

Dispute Resolution Foundation gets $34 million injection from EU

from the Jamaica Information Service:

The work of the Dispute Resolution Foundation (DRF) has been bolstered by a J$34 million injection from the European Union for a project dubbed 'We Want Justice'.

The project, which aims to advance democratic rights, through the promotion of alternative dispute resolution, was launched Thursday (March 4), at the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston. It aims to carry out its mandate through mediation, arbitration and restorative justice practices.

Mar 09, 2010    Process , Community

Can restorative justice become too routine?

by Lynette Parker

I feel a little strange asking this question, especially considering the work of advocates to see restorative justice become more wide spread. But, this is something that I’ve been pondering for a while and even more after seeing a brief news item about a defendant being referred to a pre-sentence restorative process for a “careless driving causing death” charge. The news item is short and I don’t know all the issues surrounding the case, but it  gave me pause since the victim who died was the son of the defendant. 

I began asking questions about who the victim would be in such a case. As the news item says, the defendant and her family all have to deal with the reality of the loss. While I can see some definite benefits for this family of coming together to discuss the incident and its affects on each of their lives, I also feel for this mother who is “offender” and “victim” at the same time. It just seems that the process will have to be different to respond to the needs of participants.

The real question is, "What's the purpose of the restorative encounter?" 

Mar 09, 2010    Practice , Correspondent:Lynette Parker