news

Summary

Helfgott, Jacqueline B and Lovell, Madeline L and Lawrence, Charles F (2001). Accountability, healing, and hope through storytelling and dialogue The Crime Victims Report 6 (March/April): 3-4, 11.

In this article, the authors describe the Citizens, Victims, and Offenders Restoring Justice (CVORJ) project. A response to legislative changes in the state correctional system, CVORJ was a prison-based program conducted as a pilot study at the Washington State Reformatory. It began in 1997 and continued into 2000. CVORJ consisted of a twelve-week program with a weekly meeting and ongoing follow-up discussions about the effects of crime. Readings and discussions about restorative justice were also part of the program. Participants included victims of crime, offenders, and citizens. The authors of the article look at the structure of the program, selection of seminar participants, the seminar process, and findings from a program evaluation.