Restorative practices in the university: How two professors and a student worked together to resolve conflict

from the article by Mary Hoeft, Sarah Bennett and Altravis Lewis:

Altravis sat in the back of my algebra class.  He missed class often.  His work showed evidence of his struggle. When I focused on him, I could see a look of disengagement.  One day as I stood at the front of the classroom discussing a problem, I heard Altravis shout out in frustration.  I was shaken and scared. I knew that his outburst had rattled students. After class, I approached Altravis and asked what was going on.  He apologized and explained that it wouldn't happen again. 

Nov 09, 2012 Story, Practice, School, Region: North America and Caribbean, Teacher, Country:USA

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Listening to crime victims: North Carolina restorative justice conference

by Lisa Rea

When crime victims speak about the effect violent crime has had on their lives you have to listen. On June 9th I moderated a crime victims roundtable during the 3rd Annual Restorative Justice Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina coordinated this year by Campbell University Law School. The roundtable called "Listening to Crime Victims: Their Journeys Toward Healing" was sponsored by the Journey of Hope: From Violence to Healing. The four victims of violence who told their stories were Bill Pelke, chair, Journey of Hope: From Violence to Healing (Alaska), Stephen Watt, Stephen Watt Ministries (Wyoming) , Bess Klassen-Landis, musician and teacher (Vermont), and Kim Book, executive director, Victims Voices Heard (Delaware). No matter how many crime victims panels I have moderated the stories are always riveting and often what I hear the victims say is new even when I am familiar with the stories. I learn something new as the victims move along in their lives---their own personal journeys.

Jul 25, 2011 Story, Practice, Victim, Correspondent:Lisa Rea, Mediation, Other, Case:Violence, Region: North America and Caribbean, Case:Sexual, Case:Homicide, Forgiveness, Country:USA

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The Virginia Center for Restorative Justice

from Sylvia Clute's post in Genuine Justice:

How does a community establish a restorative justice program? It happens at the local level when committed individuals decide to make it happen. Take the Virginia Center for Restorative Justice (VCRJ), for example, a nonprofit established late last year in Richmond, Virginia.

VCRJ was founded by its Executive Director, Judy Clarke, a woman whose commitment to restorative justice is grounded in her abiding faith in God and in the fundamental goodness of humanity. But this journey began for Judy many years ago when she visited the Richmond City Jail for a day with a group of business leaders who were charged with finding a solution to the jail’s problems.

Jan 19, 2011 Story, Support, Practice, Region: North America and Caribbean, Country:USA

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Lynette Parker: Listening to stories

“You don’t know what it means to have a member of the community listen to my story before making his decision.” One young man summed up his experience in a restorative conference with a community representative. Convicted of armed robbery, he had already served two years in prison and returned to his family when the conference took place. His statement reminded me of how powerful a restorative process can be.

May 21, 2009 Conference, Story, Practice, Region: North America and Caribbean, Correspondent:Lynette Parker, Country:USA

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