Community Conflict Resolution Program

Values • Methods • What We Do • Current Projects • Staff • Contact Us

Program Values

• Families have the ability to build on strengths, address harm, and move towards reconciliation and healing. They are in the best position to determine the course of their own restoration.
• As much as possible, our communities and families should come together to solve problems before intervention from the court system becomes necessary.
• Restorative justice brings healing not only to individuals but to their communities as well.
• Restoring offenders and healing victims is of greater value than punishment and vengeance.

Methods

Mediation

Mediation allows two or more people to come together voluntarily with a trained facilitator to find points of resolution to a conflict. When an agreement is reached, it may be written up to preserve and clarify its meaning.

Circles

Circles are discussions facilitated by a trained circle leader that can help a family or a community come together. Through circles, groups are able to find ways to deal with a specific conflict, with issues that re-surface repeatedly, or with the healing process after someone has been harmed. Circles have been used as a restorative justice process by indigenous people for centuries.

Family Group Conferencing

FGC is an empowering process in which families seeking help can identify and focus on their strengths and develop a Family Plan that addresses concerns such as child safety, co-parenting, or any other major issue. Family Group Conferencing engages families in a culturally competent way and helps connect them with supports in their community. (At the LRC, we interpret "families" broadly: family is defined by caring, and can include people who care about the children or other adults involved.)

Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice encompasses a wide variety of practices employed in cultures around the world. These methods allow for all parties involved in a conflict to collaboratively work to find just and healing solutions, rather than concentrating solely on punishment. Restorative justice includes all of the practices described above, as well as methods that are not practiced at the Legal Rights Center.

What We Do

Services

The Legal Rights Center provides restorative justice and conflict resolution services at no cost to members of the community. Our services include mediation, family group conferences, and dispute resolution. Trained facilitators meet with all involved parties in a safe, neutral environment, and work with them to develop an agreement or plan to resolve the issue.

Some examples of areas where we can provide assistance are:

• Fighting, truancy, and other school related issues
• Domestic abuse and other family conflicts
• Any conflict which could result in criminal or civil court proceedings

Connection

We connect our clients with culturally relevant organizations and social services that complement our restorative justice work.

Empowerment

We strive to help individuals and communities take pride in themselves and in their ability to handle their own conflicts. We will improve communication pathways between victims and offenders so that all parties may understand and cope with the consequences of an offense. In addition, the resources and services we provide will help bring closure to all those affected and build stronger, more caring communities of trust and compassion.

Our Projects

Partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools

As an alternative to out-of-school suspensions, we offer restorative services to students with behavioral issues. In most cases we use Family Group Conferences to seek the roots of the problem and create an accountability plan for improvement.

Child Protection Community Partner

Hennepin County Family Group Conferencing, a program of the Hennepin County Children and Family Services Department, helps parents and extended family of youths involved in Child Protection plan for their safety and protection. As a Community Partner, the LRC provides co-facilitators for Family Group Conferences.

Co-Parent Court (in development)

As part of a project led by Judge Bruce Peterson of Hennepin County Family Court, the LRC provides mediation and restorative justice services to unmarried parents in order to create a plan for each parent to remain cooperatively involved in their children’s lives. Other partners—the University of Minnesota, the Domestic Abuse Project, the FATHER Project, and Northpoint Health and Wellness Center—provide case management and parent education services.

LRC Restorative Justice Staff

Program Director

Simone Abel
sabel (at) legalrightscenter.org
612.337.0030 ext. 18

Latin@-Hispanic contact

Verónica González Gaona
vgaon (at) legalrightscenter.org
612.337.0030 ext. 21

Family Group Conference Facilitator

Sylvia Gutierrez
sguti (at) legalrightscenter.org
612.337.0030 ext. 20