We are as strong as our weakest relationships.

Consider for a moment your most conflicted relationship.  Who are you at conflict with right now? Today, at this moment.  The person maybe part of your inner circle of connections, your child, spouse, friend or coworker.  Maybe you have a more distant relationship that is in conflict, a boss, an ex-wife, an old boyfriend.
Conflict is [...]

Restorative Justice is about change and transformation.

In Bikram Yoga, (my blog links, one with a video) the poses are held for 30 or 60 seconds.  As you feel your body tense and you are struggling to hold the pose (in the 104 degree room).  The teacher will say “change”.  As smoothly as possible, you move to the next position or the pause [...]

Restorative Justice for Victims and increased victim participation.

A few recent events pulled this post together.
1.) At the IIRP Conference, I teased the Prosecuter in attendance, asking him if he was lost.  It was just a little sarcasm about the different philosophies sometimes held by ‘prosecution’ and ‘restorative justice’.  I then shared with him how I appreciated prosecutors that took initiative in using [...]

Restorative Justice allows us to speak with wisdom and real-ness.

One of the phrases I typically say in trainings:  “Nothing new under the sun”.  My point is two-fold.  First Restorative Justice isn’t all that orginal,  its more of the orginal kindness people needed to survive.  It’s as old as the sun itself.  I believe Restorative Justice reconnects us to the past way of relating.
I make [...]

The value of viewing people in the context of their relationships.

I am rereading Restorative Justice Transforming Societies.  I am teaching from this book, the University of Wisconsin River Falls, Special Topics course Intro to Restorative Justice.  As I read the book again, from just a year ago, I’ve been suprised at what I find interesting, or have more experience with that creates these “a-ha’s” for [...]

Helping others is hard work, keep your focus, imitation is easy.

This piece of wisdom has stayed with me for nearly a decade.  I had the opportunity to someone a ride.  She was really a strong leader and she brought a great deal forward in gender-based responses, both in criminal justice and human services.  I guess if they give an award in her name, that’s probably [...]

The act of crocheting, during pre-conferencing for Victim-Offender dialogue.

You don’t actually bring yarn and a needle to a restorative justice pre-conference.  I’ve named something, made a metaphorical explanation.  You crochet who the person is, what is relative to them, into the pre-conference process.
Here’s how it developed.  I’m training in a new staff person.  I am taking her to all the pre-conferences I am doing [...]

Lesson from a Restorative Justice Conference “Once you cut down a tree, you can’t put it back”

In typical Restorative Justice fashion, when Circle is going well stories emerge.  Stories that may previously only been events or experiences are tranformed into meaningful life lessons for everyone in the Circle.
Yesterday we had a Grandparent in the Circle.  He spoke about raising children and having faith they would turn out ok.  Faith was the [...]

The Restorative Justice storyteller, is a hero, transforming hearts, opening minds.

SCVRJP had a board of directors meeting tonight.  A strategic planning meeting and it went quite well.  I have recently really framed my role as one of support and being a resource to the board.  (it would take an entirely different post to explain).
I offered the resource of having board members tell a story about [...]

Parents supporting parents in Circle and a service dog named Tonka.

One of the SCVRJP programs is a Victim Empathy Seminar.  I developed it with some help from my friend Jill, a restorative justice practioner and she modeled it after a California program.  Basically it has evolved into a Restorative Justice Talking Circle.  When I made it up, I didn’t feel my community was ready to [...]