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- Showing 10 posts published between Sep 01, 2011 and Sep 30, 2011 [Show all]
Alternatives for juveniles in Bulgaria
Recently I provided restorative conferencing training for Prison Fellowship Bulgaria (PF Bulgaria) and several of its partner agencies. The twenty participants represented different public and non-governmental organisations including the Department for Child Protection, the Anti-bullying Commission of Vratsa, the Cultural Centre of Vratsa, the Probation Department, Caritas- Ruse and PF Bulgaria.
They are part of a new juvenile justice initiative being led by PF Bulgaria and Caritas-Ruse to introduce alternatives for working with at-risk youth. The project, “Active communities in the prevention of the institutionalisation of children and juvenile offenders,” offers several services for young people coming from difficult home situations and for those who have committed crime. It is being implemented in the Bulgarian cities of Vratsa and Ruse.
Sep 30, 2011 Practice, Region: Europe, Country:Bulgaria, Correspondent:Lynette Parker, Volunteer
The IIRP launches its Restorative Practices Blog
The IIRP invites you to check out the new Restorative Practices Blog at: http://blog.iirp.edu.
The blog will provide news, commentary and discussion about restorative practices in schools, the workplace, criminal justice and social work settings, colleges and communities around the world, along with a forum for readers to comment and exchange ideas.
Is restorative justice a compass without a needle?
from Howard Zehr's entry on Restorative Justice Blog:
....an important new contribution by Dorothy Vaandering. (“A faithful compass: rethinking the term restorative justice to find clarity.” Contemporary Justice Review, Vol 14, No. 3, Sept 2011, 307-328).
Vaandering’s research and experiences are in the realm of education, but she speaks to the field as a whole, warning that although it has offered a compass, the compass has been lacking a needle.
Sep 28, 2011 Conceptual, Definition, Theory
Elements of attitude, for effective Circle-keeping
from Kris Miner's entry on Restorative Justice and Circles:
Elements of attitude . . .
. . . for effective Circle-keeping
- We above me. Carefully consider that you are leading a group process. Pay attention to the social and emotional climate of all members in the group. Put aside your needs, and focus on the needs of the collective.
Sep 27, 2011 Limitations, Support, Practice
Practitioner Register launched in UK
The Restorative Justice Council (RJC) has launched a new Practitioner Register. This has been a long time in coming – the RJC worked since 2004 on Best Practice Guidance, which finally in 2010 formed the basis for National Occupational Standards (National Occupational Standards exist across all sectors in the UK, so are a benchmark of skills and knowledge).
Based on this we have now been able to develop Practitioner Registration. Pracititioners will be able to register with the RJC either by taking an award based on the National Occupational Standards (an award that assesses both their knowledge and their skills on the job) or by providing a portfolio of evidence to us that their practice meets the National Occupational Standards.
Sep 26, 2011 Limitations, Training, Country:England&Wales, Support, Practice, Correspondent:Lizzie Nelson, Region: Europe, Volunteer
Restorative Justice Week 2011 materials now available
from the Correctional Service Canada website:
Every year, the Restorative Justice Division and the Chaplaincy Branch work collaboratively with community partners to develop a variety of complimentary resources to be shared with individuals and communities around the world. Included below are resources meant to inspire and assist those who plan to promote and celebrate the Week.
Sep 23, 2011 Country:Canada, Support, Region: North America and Caribbean
The curious Mr Howard: Legendary prison reformer
reviewed by Martin Wright
Many adjectives could be applied to John Howard: methodical, persistent, even obsessive. 'Curious' in the title of this new biography is apt, meaning both 'unusual' and 'wanting to find out'. Tessa West has made full use of published and archival sources, some of them not available to previous biographers, to present an insightful and readable account of 'the Philanthropist', as he was known.
Sep 22, 2011 Correspondent:Martin Wright, Region: Europe, Prison
Is Georgia Ready to Execute an Innocent Man?
by Lisa Rea
I read the papers this morning online searching for this story about Troy Davis. When I read the news that the Georgia Board of Pardons did not grant clemency and that Davis was set to be executed on Wednesday September 21 I swallowed hard. I had not followed this case closely until recently. My work in the last 19 years has been focused on reforming the justice system through advocating for restorative justice. However, in recent years I have met innocent men who were on death row for crimes they did not commit. They are the lucky ones; they're alive to tell their stories. I have met even more victims of violent crime whose loved ones have been murdered around the United States who are increasingly raising their voices against the death penalty. Many of those same crime victims are strong advocates for restorative justice.
Sep 21, 2011 Correspondent:Lisa Rea
Victim offender dialogue
from the article on JUST Alternatives:
For offenders, victim-centered VOD in crimes of severe violence begins with their acknowledging complete and personal responsibility for what they have done. This means being willing to comprehend the impacts of their actions and behaviors, to face and feel a personal sense of accountability for them, and to feel remorse for the full effects of those actions upon the victims/survivors. It means having a truer understanding of the depth of the pain and grief and suffering they have caused.
Victim-centered VOD for offenders is not merely about apology, especially for what can never be restored or made whole again. There are many victims/survivors who do not even want an apology if it is uninformed by the survivor’s experience. They do not want the offenders in their cases to be allowed the “easy grace” of apology. They alone can tell offenders exactly how what happened has affected them, and they alone are the ones who need and deserve to be in control of when – and whether – to receive an apology.
Restorative justice and prisoner reintegration
The offender had already been in prison for five years. He had been convicted of rape. He and the victim had known each other; they had grown up in the same neighbourhood, he had been friends with the victim’s brother, and the victim’s father had been his teacher at primary school. The case, with his agreement, was referred to mediators by the director of his prison rehabilitation programme. He felt ashamed, and felt he needed the victim to hear him admit the crime, since at trial he had denied his role in the crime, under the guidance of his lawyer, and had in fact blamed the offence on the victim.
