 Lafayette
County Restorative Justice
Grace
Polocastro - Interim Coordinator
Phone 608 776 4948
Lafayette County Restorative
Justice Program Next Board of Directors meeting is February 6, 2006.
Lafayette County Restorative
Justice Programs
- Board of Directors
- Brent Erickson- President
- John Simonson- Vice Chair
- Lori Nodorft - Secretary
- Midge Steger - Treasurer
- Beverly Anderson
- Charlotte Doherty
- Jason King
- Brenda Poss
- Dan Stewart
By-laws, Lafayette County
Restorative Justice Programs ( draft
bylaws, Word document 6 pages 61KB)
How we got here
A first discussion session
on the issue of alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse was held
on April 23, 2004 in Darlington lead to the formation of the group.
About a dozen people from schools, agencies, the legal community
and law enforcement participated in the discussion session.
The group decided to begin by focusing on restorative justice
because so many cases that enter the legal system have an alcohol
or other drug component. Details of their progress follows:
-
May
19, 2004 meeting minutes (1 Page, 21KB)
- June
9, 2004 meeting minutes (2 Pages, 25KB)
- June
30, 2004 meeting minutes (1 Page, 19KB)
- A meeting with many key community contacts was held July 22,
2004 to help them understand the concept. Dan Stewart and Larry
Hakes lead the session. Community leaders were supportive of
the concept.
- August
8, 2004 meeting minutes (2 Pages, 24KB)
- August
26, 2004 meeting minutes (1 Page, 20KB)
- September
16, 2004 meeting minutes (1 Page, 21KB)
- October
21, 2004 meeting minutes (2 Pages, 24KB)
What is Restorative
Justice?
Restorative Justice
is designed to facilitate the opportunity for victims, offenders,
and community members to come together and solve social problems.
Victims are central to the process and are given a voice to their
pain; offenders are given the opportunity to take responsibility
and be accountable for the harm they have caused; and community
members are given the opportunity to create solutions for better
and safer communities.
Restorative Justice
is an old idea with a new name. Its roots can be found in Aboriginal
healing traditions and the non-retaliatory responses to violence
endorsed by many faith communities.
Restorative Justice
represents a return of the simple wisdom of viewing conflict as
an opportunity for a community to learn and grow. It operates
on the premise that conflict, even criminal conflict, inflicts
harm, and therefore, individuals must accept responsibility for
repairing that harm. Communities are empowered to choose their
response to conflict. Victims, offenders and communities actively
participate in devising and implementing mutually beneficial solutions.
Conflicts are resolved in a way that restores community relationships
and allows for safer and healthier communities.
There are more than
1000 Restorative Justice Programs in the United States, Canada
and Europe. As opposed to the traditional court process, research
on Restorative Justice programs have found:
- Higher satisfaction among victims and offenders who participated
- After meeting the offender, victims are less fearful of being
revicitimized
- Offenders who meet their victims are more likely to pay restitution
- Fewer crimes are committed by offenders who meet their victims
How Restorative Justice
compares with the traditional system (1 Page, 48 KB)
What
is being proposed for Lafayette County (2 Pages, 33 KB)
Some links to other
Restorative Justice Programs
Barron
County Restorative Justice Incorporated
Restorative
Justice Online
South
St. Paul Restorative Justice Council
Return
to the program priorities page
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