Restorative Justice

"Restorative Justice" is based on the belief that when a person does something that harms another or that generally harms a community, the fabric of the relationships involved has been torn.  We believe that with time and effort that fabric can be mended and patterns of abuse, crime, isolation or fear can be changed positively.

Mediation is probably the best known form of restorative justice.  It allows two or more people who have a conflict to come together with a trained Mediator who will help them find points of resolution.  No one is forced to come to mediation or forced to agree.  It is a voluntary process.  When agreement is reached (and it often is), the agreement may be written up so that everyone involved is clear about what it means to them.

Circles is a process that has been used by indigenous people for centuries to find solutions for conlicts, to brainstorm, and even to invoke the mutual powers of a community.  We do circle to help a family or a community come together respectfully and find ways to deal with a specific conflict, with issues that re-surface repeatedly, or to aid in the healing process after someone has been harmed.  Circle is based on the belief that people have within them the ability and the power to bring about mutually acceptable solutions to difficult problems.

Family Group Conferencing is also a very old process.  When a family has a problem or conflict that is causing disruption, lack of safety or fear, we bring the family together to share information and to develop a plan to deal with concerns.  Family is defined by caring; it includes people who care about the children or adults involved.

Our target population is Families in Hennepin County, particularly Youth/Families with limited income and/or whose member(s) are non-Caucasian.  We have no income qualifications regarding the Restorative Justice work that we do.