Staying Restorative

Articles and other resources on self care for restorative practitioners and advocates.

Making progress in restorative justice: A qualitative study

from the abstract of a thesis by John R. Bacon: This is an exploratory study into how restorative justice (RJ) facilitators made progress before and during a RJ conference. It draws specifically on the experiences of Justice Research Consortium (JRC) facilitators who participated in one of three Home Office funded trials between 2001-4, and the only trial to employ a randomized control design based on the RJ conference model. Qualitative data was collected via focus group meetings and individual interviews.

Keeping it real restorative justice: 5 criteria for a solid program

from Kris Miner's entry on Restorative Justice and Circles: So, 5 criteria for you in creating a truly restorative justice program. 1. Define your criteria. Restorative justice is yes, a philosophical approach, YET specific processes are how we do Restorative Justice.... [G]et criteria for your Circle or conference. I recently saw a Circle demonstration and there was no open, no close, the talking piece was used as a way to take turns asking questions. There was no preparation put into the people attending. Have criteria, stick to those criteria....

Who knew you could gain staff and lose ground, two crucial time management tips!

from Kris Miner's entry on Restorative Justice and Circles: I’ve had more staff around me in the last 3 months, than the last 3 years! I worked solo (with the help of MANY great volunteers) or had one other person employed at SCVRJP. The last few months have included 2 staff and an intern. Great dedicated helpful people. Yet I feel like I have lost my footing, the ground under me has slid away. I’m disorganized, missing appointments, finishing tasks just under the wire. WHAT? From the woman who was running the entire show!? It’s not like I haven’t delegated, believe me I’ve delegated. One of my coworkers pointed out she can’t complete certain project, because of the assignments I add-on each day. Realize that despite your skills, connections, talents and abilities, if you fail at managing your tasks or your time, you can fail in general.

The fun in social justice

from Isabella Mori's entry on change therapy: once again, northern voice, vancouver’s annual blogging and social media conference, was a lot of fun. two inspiring sessions were about making a difference in the world: one about doing good by darren barefoot, and another about social media and social justice by ajay masala puri and jeremy osborn. the one about social justice, which took place outside in the grass on a beautiful sunny afternoon, challenged all participants to commit to doing one thing towards social justice. ....as i was thinking about a possible commitment it occurred to me that while i do dedicate a good of amount of my time and some of my money to social justice, there are moments when the term seems a bit heavy, maybe a little too serious. that’s how i came up with the commitment of looking at the fun side of social justice. fun is important for me; fun sustains me. it makes sense, then, to invest something in the fun side of this – it’ll keep my interest in social justice going! so here are a few thoughts on the fun part of social justice.

Being a trustworthy person and a trustworthy non-profit.

from Kris Miner's article on Restorative Justice and Circles: I was listening to MN Public radio and caught a quick statement about trust. One of the guest speakers said that trust depended on two things, if the agency or the person was 1.) well-intended and 2.) competent about the matter at hand.

Restorative justice: A community response when bad things happen

from Ben Ziegler's entry on Collaborative Journeys Bad things happen. They did to Katy Hutchison on New Year’s Eve in 1997. Her husband Bob was beaten to death while checking on a party being thrown by their neighbour’s son. It happened in Squamish, a small town just north of Vancouver. A wall of silence grew up around the murder. It was four years before Ryan Aldridge admitted to having delivered the fatal blow, was convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to five years in prison. Katy Hutchison’s response to the tragic event was not “get tough on crime”. She did not see how that approach would build a stronger community. She didn’t want to be re-victimized by the prevailing justice system. Instead, she courageously reached out to Ryan, first through a formal victim/offender reconciliation process, and since, has maintained close contact with Ryan and his family. She wanted healing, and sought it through Restorative Justice. Read Katy and Ryan’s story of forgiveness and restoration.

Core capacities of restorative justice practitioners

from Howard Zehr's Restorative Justice Blog: In January a small group gathered in Seattle for several days of restorative justice dialogue and we’ve continued the discussion since then by email. (The participants are listed below.) One of the questions raised was what we considered to be the core capacities of effective restorative justice practitioners. Aaron Lyons, a practitioner in Vancouver and a CJP alumnus, took the lead on this discussion and I invited him to contribute a guest blog entry. The following is his contribution. Hi fellow Howard’s blog enthusiasts - Recently I’ve been asking, “What are the core capacities, in terms of values, analytical tools, and skills, of an effective restorative justice practitioner?” Below are a few thoughts, shaped by but not necessarily representative of, the discussion among my Seattle mentors. What would you challenge or add to this list?

Getting feedback is awesome, we should give it more often, directly.

from Kris Miner's entry at Restorative Justice and Circles: NOTE: One of the reasons that Kris' blog is so useful is that she is transparent about her experiences as a facilitator and agency director. In this entry she talks about two kinds of feedback she received recently and how she intends to use both. At the beginning of Circle, we write a relationship value on paper plates, we place these on the floor in front of us. We make a commitment to honor these values in Circle. If they are good values for our relationships outside of Circle, they are good values for our relationships in Circle. We do a give and get activity. One person starts by picking a plate and giving it to someone else in Circle. An explanation of how the value was demonstrated and why it was given is part of the activity. Once you get a plate its your turn to give one. Yesterday I got two plates: LOVE and INTEGRITY. I also got a phone call I was ‘reported’ to a statewide association. Getting the plates and getting the phone call, very different types of feedback, but I am going to accept them both as awesome. Let me try to explain that:

Restorative justice: A travelogue

from Ryan Hollon's entry on Dr. Pop Blog: I was heading to South Africa as part of a restorative justice delegation from the Windy City. Our group brought with it a diverse history of activism, action, and hustling for change. Some of the delegates were working to transform the disciplinary culture of the public school system, others were community leaders deeply rooted in neighborhood life, several had been working for decades to reform the ways our society responds to domestic violence, and many in the group had dedicated their lives to working with young people to shift power in their communities. All of us were practitioners of conflict resolution methods like peace circles, and all of us shared a basic belief in the power of groups to come together to address difficult issues, to deal with the conflicting forces in our lives.

Restorative justice: A travelogue

from Ryan Hollon's entry on Dr. Pop Blog: I was heading to South Africa as part of a restorative justice delegation from the Windy City. Our group brought with it a diverse history of activism, action, and hustling for change. Some of the delegates were working to transform the disciplinary culture of the public school system, others were community leaders deeply rooted in neighborhood life, several had been working for decades to reform the ways our society responds to domestic violence, and many in the group had dedicated their lives to working with young people to shift power in their communities. All of us were practitioners of conflict resolution methods like peace circles, and all of us shared a basic belief in the power of groups to come together to address difficult issues, to deal with the conflicting forces in our lives.

As restorative justice practitioners, hard work needed regarding victims: Five things to do

from Kris Miner's blog Restorative Justice and Circles: I want to offer some lessons for people who do restorative justice. These lessons are for working with victims in either a victim-offender dialogue or a talking circle. I think its important to keep up our compassion towards victims skills. To really do our best, I have 5 things to work really hard at:

How to run a meeting like a restorative justice talking circle

from Kris Miner's blog: Not everyone is comfortable with Circle, so over time, I have found ways to engage bits without making people freak-out and shut down. On the same hand, I’ve gotten quite confident at running a Circle, with skeptical people. (imagine a circle of attorney’s!) Running a meeting like a Circle, I’ve promoted the interactive meeting format to include:

Volunteer statements: “every Circle is my favorite”, “I needed this Circle more than anyone here”

from Kris Miner's blog Restorative Justice and Circles: Once and awhile I get tired. I get tired and lonely and frustrated. I wonder why I am a workaholic and kick myself for doing this to myself. I keep repeating a cycle. Then I am in Circle and people say things that catch me off guard. Suddenly someone is talking about surviving physical abuse as a child. As most of us look at the paper plates on the floor, because the speaker is explaining how her teachers, police officers and social workers used these values to get her safe. She expresses this and only starts to tear up at the end. No one interrupts, no rescuing comments, no affirming “thanks for sharing”. Because that is how Circle works. We tell the truth one person at a time.

10 ways to live restoratively

from Howard Zehr's article on Restorative Justice Blog: 1. Take relationships seriously, envisioning yourself in an interconnected web of people, institutions and the environment. 2. Try to be aware of the impact - potential as well as actual - of your actions on others and the environment. 3. When your actions negatively impact others, take responsibility by acknowledging and seeking to repair the harm - even when you could probably get away with avoiding or denying it. (To craft a letter of apology, see the Apology Letter website developed by Loreen Walker and Ben Furman.) 4. Treat everyone respectfully, even those you don’t expect to encounter again, even those you feel don’t deserve it, even those who have harmed or offended you or others. 5. Involve those affected by a decision, as much as possible, in the decision-making process.

The process isn’t perfect, and sometimes you do what you can

 

Theory of trouble

by Dan Van Ness The very interesting website Restorative Resources has this great quote from the organization's director: "If, by the time a student has graduated high school, they have not gotten into significant trouble at least three times and found a positive way to resolve it each time, I suggest that their education is incomplete." --Amos Clifford As the father of a recent high school graduate, I'm not sure that I would have wished for my son to get into significant trouble three out of the four years he was there, but I get Clifford's point.

Personality and restorative justice

Matt K. writes on Restorative Practices in Schools: There is a balance that is needed between restorative justice and the traditional court system. I would say that ever professional in the traditional setting needs to have a restorative mindset. They could all model those we have working in Gunnison County. Personality and personal connections are life.

Offering Hope, Encouraging Change

"A place where human potential is squashed." I recently read this quote from someone working in prison ministry in Estonia. I couldn't help but contrast it with a statement made by an offender after a restorative conference, "I was happy because I think they really believe I can change." I remember thinking this was the highest form of compliment for the process and those who participated. When I shared the comment with a colleague, I said, "Sometimes that is all a person needs, the knowledge that someone else thinks he can do the right thing."

Inquiring Systems

We learn procedures. They work well. Now, let’s abandon them and learn all over again. The meta-procedure is inquiry; from it all other procedures arise.

Lynette Parker: Restorative Justice…Not Counselling

A few months ago, I assisted with a training event for restorative conferencing facilitators. When asking questions, some of the participants would say, “so when people get this counselling…” and were surprised when I adamantly stated that conferencing is not counselling. Several laughed and joked about it the rest of the day, but the confusion between the two has stayed with me.