Stories from the Media

Read articles from various media outlets about restorative justice and restorative processes.

Civilizing offenders requires community relationships
Sawyer family moves forward after devastating loss: from wsbt.com (tip of the hat to Vancouver Association for Restorative Justice): When he left home the morning of July 16, 2008, Patrick was just weeks away from completing his degree. It was early, before sunrise, and he was riding his bicycle west on Cleveland Road, headed to the YMCA to swim laps before class at Indiana University South Bend. He was wearing a helmet and reflective vest and riding with traffic, and he had lights on the front and back of his bicycle.
Schaefer, Diane. A Disembodied Community Collaborates in a Homicide: Can Empathy Transform a Failing Justice System?: Restorative justice concepts and principles transformed by fearful response to a local homicide into anger at 'disembodies community'. Drawing on conversations with residents and newspaper accounts, I analyze the social arrangements in Charleston, Illinois (10,000 population, 20,000 during the academic year) that conspired to isolate neighbors from each other while nurturing the intimidating behaviors of Anthony Mertz, the person arrested for killing Shannon McNamara. I also explore how the implementation of community dialogue guided by restorative justice practices and peacemaking criminology precepts would have created a different social context, a context less likely to have produced the murder in the first place. (author's abstract)
Maryport woman meets youths who made life hell: from the article in the Times & Star: A Maryport woman has come face-to-face with some of the youths who have turned her life into a living hell for the past seven years. The meeting was part of a new restorative justice programme where offenders meet victims to drive home the consequences of their actions. Julie Messenger, 44, of Ellenborough Old Road, has been the target of anti-social behaviour that has cost her hundreds of pounds and turned her life, and that of her 12-year-old daughter, into a living hell.
Long path to redemption: Restorative justice has success stories, but law doesn't require its use: from J. Adrian Stanley's article in Colorado Springs Independent: Back in June 2005, [Jonathan] Price was 17 and looking forward to his senior year at Sand Creek High School with his "posse" a tight group of friends, mostly military brats, who had spent their high school years invading each other's houses like family, having sleepovers and playing Halo. When they were younger, they caused the "boys will be boys" brand of trouble stealing bulbs out of porch lights, ringing doorbells and running away. Now they were acting their age more often. One day, Price and buddies Terence Henderson and Marcus (last name not available) decided to head to Price's place. Marcus called shotgun. Henderson insisted on riding on top of the trunk. Price began driving. He rounded a curve and paused at a stop sign. That's when they noticed Henderson was gone. The boy had fallen off the back and hit his head. A day later, he was dead.
Boys pay for crime with school chores: from Colin's article on Welsh Icons: An incident which occurred at Mynydd Cynffig Infants School, Kenfig Hill in January has been dealt with by means of ‘Restorative Justice’. A storage shed was broken into at the school and property was removed. Following a successful Police investigation four local culprits were apprehended and the stolen property was later returned to the school. After admitting to what they had done and on the request of the school a ‘Restorative Justice’ meeting was held which involving the Police, the school, the boys and their parents.
Vermont’s juvenile justice system saves a woman’s life
'Talking stick' helps facilitate restorative justice response to destructive behaviors
Courage to repair: from the editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: A racist prank perpetrated outside the University of Missouri's Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center 11 days ago has evoked a reassuring response. The two undergraduates — Zachary E. Tucker and Sean D. Fitzgerald — tried to make a mockery of the bitter history of black servitude. They scattered cotton balls outside the culture center under cover of night. But their crude handiwork was greeted with sharp and universal condemnation. Both students were identified and suspended from school. Last week, they were arrested. The Boone County prosecutor is weighing whether to pursue criminal charges.
Coffee shop is site of healing: Todd C. Frankel's article in St Louis Post-Dispatch: He didn't know what to expect. He was sick with dread. His eyes were bloodshot from crying. Aaron Poisson was returning to the Starbucks where two years earlier his actions had killed another man. He didn't have to be here. He had served his time. Now 21, Poisson spent nine months in jail after pleading guilty of fatally running over Roger Kreutz, a customer trying to stop Poisson as the young man fled this coffee shop off Watson Road with a stolen tip jar containing less than $5. He says he didn't intend to hurt Kreutz, didn't know until days later what he had done. Accompanied by his father, Poisson was headed back to the Starbucks, to a ceremony to spread Kreutz's ashes below a memorial tree planted just yards from the fatal scene. Kreutz's extended family and dozens of friends were there. Poisson feared their anger, the hatred. "But it feels like something I have to do," said Poisson, wearing a sweater and black slacks, as though he were headed to church. "It's something I want to do."
Vermont’s juvenile justice teaches kids community can help: This is the third of four columns in a series about the nation’s oldest and most mature restorative juvenile justice system.
On delivering nuanced messages in a soundbite culture: "Trendy 'restorative justice' schemes to stamp out bullying at schools 'do not work'," the headline trumpeted. The article by Laura Clark on Mail Online (the website of the Daily Mail) began in the same vein: "Trendy 'no punishment' approaches to tackling bullying are not working in many schools, a researcher warned yesterday. More than 600 schools use 'restorative justice' techniques which allow bullies to escape punishment if they face their victims and apologise. But a Cambridge University academic told a conference the approach has been 'widely exaggerated' as a remedy for bullying."
Asking Questions and Speaking the Truth: In 2006, Kathy Key's husband was killed on his way home from work when his motorcycle was hit by a car. The driver was arrested for driving drunk. Through a restorative justice programme, Kathy met the man responsible for her husbands death. In this two minute interview with BBC, Kathy explains her reasons for participating in the meeting and what she felt the offender got out of the meeting.
Boys made to work at park to compensate for vandalism: from the article in Ripley and Heanor News: Three teenagers from Amber Valley have been helping rangers at Shipley Country Park as recompense for damaging a shed in the area. The three boys caused the damage last month and, as punishment for their behaviour, were made to go back to the park and work for a day alongside the rangers.
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.
New payback justice: Both sides of the fence: from Neal Keeling's article in Manchester Evening News: Ruth Edmunds and Peter Woolf have been on either side of the Restorative Justice programme – and both believe it works. Ruth decided to meet a teenage boy who was in a gang of three vandals that wrecked a Scout hut in Poynton, Cheshire, where she worked as a volunteer. Peter's life changed for ever when he met the man he attacked and left bleeding during a burglary. Seven years on, he hasn't reoffended.
Youths who broke into Pendle firm apologise: from the article in Lancashire Telegraph: A gang of youths which drove a forklift truck around a factory after breaking in have been forced to meet with bosses from the firm. The eight youngsters avoided court and were instead ordered to take part in the restorative justice programme. They met with bosses from Carlson Filtration, in Barnoldswick, and heard how their actions had impacted on the company. The group broke into the factory, in Butts Mill, last month, and drove forklift trucks around, causing £2,000 worth of damage.
A justice system that focuses on the victim, as well as the offender: From the article by Harvey Voogd in the Edmonton Journal: When a crime occurs, it does not affect just one person, but also impacts their family members and the entire community. This was personally made clear to my family in the fall of 2008 when our pickup was stolen in the middle of the night. Though it was parked in front of our home in Edmonton and under a street light, neither we nor our neighbours heard anything. The truck was recovered near Alberta Beach, but was written off due to a combination of damage sustained and the age of the vehicle. We received $3,700 for the loss, but our new second-hand truck cost $11,000 -- a financial hit that we had not anticipated.
Warren, Jenifer. A Journey Toward Healing. Restorative justice brings crime victims and perpetrators together to confront the loss. It's helping one grieving widow find forgiveness.: Deep inside this infamous old prison, Patty O'Reilly stands before eight men doing hard time, her shoulders slumped, a man's gold wedding band hanging from a chain around her neck. Three of the inmates are sobbing. The others sit motionless on metal chairs, eyes locked on the small, sad woman in front of them. O'Reilly's words seep out. A ballet teacher from Sonoma, she has come to San Quentin to share a story -- about the killing of a husband and the trauma caused by that loss. She tells of two daughters left fatherless, of a widow, not yet 40, paralyzed by grief. Weeping now, O'Reilly describes happy futures shredded in an instant by one man's single, terrible act. (excerpt)
Ebbels, Kelly. Circle of justice: Twenty years ago, elders and community leaders at Hollow Water teamed up with social services counsellors and launched what Hardisty describes as a comprehensive networking and healing system, called Community Holistic Circle Healing (CHCH). If a community member is accused of a crime, instead of being sent to a prison or detainment centre, another community member or an officer refers the victimizer to CHCH. Hollow Water has confronted sexual abuse, incest, and alcoholism not through retributive, punitive measures, but through these restorative-justice healing circles. (excerpt)

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Navigation Press Room What is Restorative Justice? Personal Stories Audio/Video Resources Stories from the Media Restorative Justice Processes Kinds of Crimes Restorative Justice around the World Uses Outside of Criminal Justice	Info Stories from the Media Read articles from various media outlets about restorative justice and restorative processes. Civilizing offenders requires community relationships Sawyer family moves forward after devastating loss from wsbt.com (tip of the hat to Vancouver Association for Restorative Justice): When he left home the morning of July 16, 2008, Patrick was just weeks away from completing his degree. It was early, before sunrise, and he was riding his bicycle west on Cleveland Road, headed to the YMCA to swim laps before class at Indiana University South Bend. He was wearing a helmet and reflective vest and riding with traffic, and he had lights on the front and back of his bicycle. Schaefer, Diane. A Disembodied Community Collaborates in a Homicide: Can Empathy Transform a Failing Justice System? Restorative justice concepts and principles transformed by fearful response to a local homicide into anger at 'disembodies community'. Drawing on conversations with residents and newspaper accounts, I analyze the social arrangements in Charleston, Illinois (10,000 population, 20,000 during the academic year) that conspired to isolate neighbors from each other while nurturing the intimidating behaviors of Anthony Mertz, the person arrested for killing Shannon McNamara. I also explore how the implementation of community dialogue guided by restorative justice practices and peacemaking criminology precepts would have created a different social context, a context less likely to have produced the murder in the first place. (author's abstract) Maryport woman meets youths who made life hell from the article in the Times & Star: A Maryport woman has come face-to-face with some of the youths who have turned her life into a living hell for the past seven years. The meeting was part of a new restorative justice programme where offenders meet victims to drive home the consequences of their actions. Julie Messenger, 44, of Ellenborough Old Road, has been the target of anti-social behaviour that has cost her hundreds of pounds and turned her life, and that of her 12-year-old daughter, into a living hell. Long path to redemption: Restorative justice has success stories, but law doesn't require its use from J. Adrian Stanley's article in Colorado Springs Independent: Back in June 2005, [Jonathan] Price was 17 and looking forward to his senior year at Sand Creek High School with his "posse" a tight group of friends, mostly military brats, who had spent their high school years invading each other's houses like family, having sleepovers and playing Halo. When they were younger, they caused the "boys will be boys" brand of trouble stealing bulbs out of porch lights, ringing doorbells and running away. Now they were acting their age more often. One day, Price and buddies Terence Henderson and Marcus (last name not available) decided to head to Price's place. Marcus called shotgun. Henderson insisted on riding on top of the trunk. Price began driving. He rounded a curve and paused at a stop sign. That's when they noticed Henderson was gone. The boy had fallen off the back and hit his head. A day later, he was dead. Boys pay for crime with school chores from Colin's article on Welsh Icons: An incident which occurred at Mynydd Cynffig Infants School, Kenfig Hill in January has been dealt with by means of ‘Restorative Justice’. A storage shed was broken into at the school and property was removed. Following a successful Police investigation four local culprits were apprehended and the stolen property was later returned to the school. After admitting to what they had done and on the request of the school a ‘Restorative Justice’ meeting was held which involving the Police, the school, the boys and their parents. Vermont’s juvenile justice system saves a woman’s life 'Talking stick' helps facilitate restorative justice response to destructive behaviors Courage to repair from the editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: A racist prank perpetrated outside the University of Missouri's Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center 11 days ago has evoked a reassuring response. The two undergraduates — Zachary E. Tucker and Sean D. Fitzgerald — tried to make a mockery of the bitter history of black servitude. They scattered cotton balls outside the culture center under cover of night. But their crude handiwork was greeted with sharp and universal condemnation. Both students were identified and suspended from school. Last week, they were arrested. The Boone County prosecutor is weighing whether to pursue criminal charges. Coffee shop is site of healing Todd C. Frankel's article in St Louis Post-Dispatch: He didn't know what to expect. He was sick with dread. His eyes were bloodshot from crying. Aaron Poisson was returning to the Starbucks where two years earlier his actions had killed another man. He didn't have to be here. He had served his time. Now 21, Poisson spent nine months in jail after pleading guilty of fatally running over Roger Kreutz, a customer trying to stop Poisson as the young man fled this coffee shop off Watson Road with a stolen tip jar containing less than $5. He says he didn't intend to hurt Kreutz, didn't know until days later what he had done. Accompanied by his father, Poisson was headed back to the Starbucks, to a ceremony to spread Kreutz's ashes below a memorial tree planted just yards from the fatal scene. Kreutz's extended family and dozens of friends were there. Poisson feared their anger, the hatred. "But it feels like something I have to do," said Poisson, wearing a sweater and black slacks, as though he were headed to church. "It's something I want to do." Vermont’s juvenile justice teaches kids community can help This is the third of four columns in a series about the nation’s oldest and most mature restorative juvenile justice system. On delivering nuanced messages in a soundbite culture "Trendy 'restorative justice' schemes to stamp out bullying at schools 'do not work'," the headline trumpeted. The article by Laura Clark on Mail Online (the website of the Daily Mail) began in the same vein: "Trendy 'no punishment' approaches to tackling bullying are not working in many schools, a researcher warned yesterday. More than 600 schools use 'restorative justice' techniques which allow bullies to escape punishment if they face their victims and apologise. But a Cambridge University academic told a conference the approach has been 'widely exaggerated' as a remedy for bullying." Asking Questions and Speaking the Truth In 2006, Kathy Key's husband was killed on his way home from work when his motorcycle was hit by a car. The driver was arrested for driving drunk. Through a restorative justice programme, Kathy met the man responsible for her husbands death. In this two minute interview with BBC, Kathy explains her reasons for participating in the meeting and what she felt the offender got out of the meeting. Boys made to work at park to compensate for vandalism from the article in Ripley and Heanor News: Three teenagers from Amber Valley have been helping rangers at Shipley Country Park as recompense for damaging a shed in the area. The three boys caused the damage last month and, as punishment for their behaviour, were made to go back to the park and work for a day alongside the rangers. 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. New payback justice: Both sides of the fence from Neal Keeling's article in Manchester Evening News: Ruth Edmunds and Peter Woolf have been on either side of the Restorative Justice programme – and both believe it works. Ruth decided to meet a teenage boy who was in a gang of three vandals that wrecked a Scout hut in Poynton, Cheshire, where she worked as a volunteer. Peter's life changed for ever when he met the man he attacked and left bleeding during a burglary. Seven years on, he hasn't reoffended. Youths who broke into Pendle firm apologise from the article in Lancashire Telegraph: A gang of youths which drove a forklift truck around a factory after breaking in have been forced to meet with bosses from the firm. The eight youngsters avoided court and were instead ordered to take part in the restorative justice programme. They met with bosses from Carlson Filtration, in Barnoldswick, and heard how their actions had impacted on the company. The group broke into the factory, in Butts Mill, last month, and drove forklift trucks around, causing £2,000 worth of damage. A justice system that focuses on the victim, as well as the offender From the article by Harvey Voogd in the Edmonton Journal: When a crime occurs, it does not affect just one person, but also impacts their family members and the entire community. This was personally made clear to my family in the fall of 2008 when our pickup was stolen in the middle of the night. Though it was parked in front of our home in Edmonton and under a street light, neither we nor our neighbours heard anything. The truck was recovered near Alberta Beach, but was written off due to a combination of damage sustained and the age of the vehicle. We received $3,700 for the loss, but our new second-hand truck cost $11,000 -- a financial hit that we had not anticipated. Warren, Jenifer. A Journey Toward Healing. Restorative justice brings crime victims and perpetrators together to confront the loss. It's helping one grieving widow find forgiveness. Deep inside this infamous old prison, Patty O'Reilly stands before eight men doing hard time, her shoulders slumped, a man's gold wedding band hanging from a chain around her neck. Three of the inmates are sobbing. The others sit motionless on metal chairs, eyes locked on the small, sad woman in front of them. O'Reilly's words seep out. A ballet teacher from Sonoma, she has come to San Quentin to share a story -- about the killing of a husband and the trauma caused by that loss. She tells of two daughters left fatherless, of a widow, not yet 40, paralyzed by grief. Weeping now, O'Reilly describes happy futures shredded in an instant by one man's single, terrible act. (excerpt) Ebbels, Kelly. Circle of justice Twenty years ago, elders and community leaders at Hollow Water teamed up with social services counsellors and launched what Hardisty describes as a comprehensive networking and healing system, called Community Holistic Circle Healing (CHCH). If a community member is accused of a crime, instead of being sent to a prison or detainment centre, another community member or an officer refers the victimizer to CHCH. Hollow Water has confronted sexual abuse, incest, and alcoholism not through retributive, punitive measures, but through these restorative-justice healing circles. (excerpt) Next 12 items » [1] 2 Document Actions RSS feed Send this Print this	A long-time repeat offender describes the impact of meeting with his victims.