Video Review: Burning Bridges
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Video Review
This 35 minute documentary begins with news reports of the arson of an historic wooden covered bridge in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and the eventual apprehension of six local, college age men who set the fire. The focus of the video, however, is made up of footage of a restorative conference conducted by the International Institute for Restorative Practices. It concludes with television news footage after the sentencing.
Laura Mirsky, Director, Produced by International Institute for Restorative Practices and Real Justice, 2005
This 35 minute documentary begins with news reports of the arson of an historic wooden covered bridge in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the eventual apprehension of six local, college age men who set the fire. The focus of the video, however, is made up of footage of a restorative conference conducted by the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP). It concludes with television news footage after the sentencing.
Moods Bridge was a 130-year-old landmark in Bucks County, in eastern Pennsylvania. It was one of a declining number of wooden covered bridges in that part of the country, and was named after a family whose descendants still live there. The six young men had grown up in the small community, and had decided to set fire to the bridge as a prank.
Community outrage was high, as was the shock when the identities of the young men were revealed. The documentary skilfully presents community attitudes through news items, statements by the prosecutor, comments by the parents of the young men, and comments by members of the community before and during the restorative conference.
It also provides an insightful and illuminating picture of what life was like for the young men and their families in the aftermath of the arson. Parents struggled with emotions of self-doubt, grief, shock, anger and fear for their boys’ future. The boys were clearly remorseful and afraid of what they might face when they were sentenced.
The video shows the facilitators of the conference planning how to contact family members and community participants, as well as meeting with some of them in preparation for the conference. There is extended coverage of the conference itself, which was apparently conducted as an opportunity for the young men and their families to meet with community representatives and have an extended conversation about what happened and how that had affected the people present. It does not appear from the video that the conference led to specific recommendations to the judge concerning sentencing.
In an article about her experiences directing the video, Laura Mirsky, communications coordinator for IIRP, explains that the conference was three hours long, and that the judge watched an unedited version of the video before imposing the sentence. News clips included in the documentary suggest that the judge was positively influenced by the video in imposing the sentence.
Burning Bridges is a useful tool for explaining principles of restorative justice, and for offering a glimpse inside the preparation for and facilitation of a restorative conference. While the crime will not be one that most audience members relate to, they can be reminded that this was a devastating crime in the small community in which it took place, and helped to consider crimes that might be comparable in impact in their own communities.
The video is available for $50 (US) and can be ordered from IIRP at their website http://www.iirp.org/booksvideos/description/burningbridges.html. Mirsky’s article is located at http://fp.enter.net/restorativepractices/directingbb.pdf.
Daniel W. Van Ness
February 2006
This 35 minute documentary begins with news reports of the arson of an historic wooden covered bridge in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the eventual apprehension of six local, college age men who set the fire. The focus of the video, however, is made up of footage of a restorative conference conducted by the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP). It concludes with television news footage after the sentencing.
Moods Bridge was a 130-year-old landmark in Bucks County, in eastern Pennsylvania. It was one of a declining number of wooden covered bridges in that part of the country, and was named after a family whose descendants still live there. The six young men had grown up in the small community, and had decided to set fire to the bridge as a prank.
Community outrage was high, as was the shock when the identities of the young men were revealed. The documentary skilfully presents community attitudes through news items, statements by the prosecutor, comments by the parents of the young men, and comments by members of the community before and during the restorative conference.
It also provides an insightful and illuminating picture of what life was like for the young men and their families in the aftermath of the arson. Parents struggled with emotions of self-doubt, grief, shock, anger and fear for their boys’ future. The boys were clearly remorseful and afraid of what they might face when they were sentenced.
The video shows the facilitators of the conference planning how to contact family members and community participants, as well as meeting with some of them in preparation for the conference. There is extended coverage of the conference itself, which was apparently conducted as an opportunity for the young men and their families to meet with community representatives and have an extended conversation about what happened and how that had affected the people present. It does not appear from the video that the conference led to specific recommendations to the judge concerning sentencing.
In an article about her experiences directing the video, Laura Mirsky, communications coordinator for IIRP, explains that the conference was three hours long, and that the judge watched an unedited version of the video before imposing the sentence. News clips included in the documentary suggest that the judge was positively influenced by the video in imposing the sentence.
Burning Bridges is a useful tool for explaining principles of restorative justice, and for offering a glimpse inside the preparation for and facilitation of a restorative conference. While the crime will not be one that most audience members relate to, they can be reminded that this was a devastating crime in the small community in which it took place, and helped to consider crimes that might be comparable in impact in their own communities.
The video is available for $50 (US) and can be ordered from IIRP at their website http://www.iirp.org/booksvideos/description/burningbridges.html. Mirsky’s article is located at http://fp.enter.net/restorativepractices/directingbb.pdf.
Daniel W. Van Ness
February 2006
