Making Amends in Prison

Repairing harm means making amends. This can be done in many ways, ranging from an apology to a financial settlement. Articles on the variety of ways prisoners can make amends to their victims and to the community while they are in prison.

Victim assistance

Lisa, The best link for APAC is www.pfi.org/cjr/apac. Of course, if you read portuguese you can visit http://www.fbac.com.br/. Don't underestimate the amount of victim involvement [...]

restorative justice works

Thank you for posting this. Brian Steels makes a good case here. Prison models that embrace restorative justice work. These models embrace offender accountability and [...]

Prison Reform and RJ

Excellent paper, Mr. Steele. The culture of prisons is highly institutionalized with high staff turn-over. Impacting that culture is going to be extremely difficult without [...]

Restorative Justice

As someone who has spent a great deal of my life behind bars I think it's about time something is done to address the need [...]

Lost Dog Restorative Justice Program

More rescue groups and more minimum security prisons should have programs like this. And more dog trainers should get involved in programs like this as [...]

Restorative justice provides new path for prisoners

from the article by Jesse Bishop in the Misourian: ....This is no television prison. There is no guard or glass wall. There are no handcuffs or restraints, just a couple of cameras and a conversation. A conversation about where they came from, why they’re here, but most importantly a conversation about where they’re going. It’s a path with few options. “On the other side of that door, it’s either hell or redemption,” Baumgardner says. “You choose.” “That door” leads to the bowels of Jefferson City Correctional Center, a maximum security prison. Starr, Baumgardner and King have all chosen the latter path. Hell is what got them here. Restorative Justice offers them a chance to change that.

Helping the community, building connections

by Lynette Parker Recently, we shared the article “Give prisoners the chance to help the community” by Erwin James in which he describes prison as consisting of “enforced idleness” and working to “create model prisoners instead of model citizens.” Erwin describes the benefits of programmes allowing prisoners to do something for the community. Referring to his own participation in a Braille unit when incarcerated for murder, Erwin says, “...it was the first time in our lives that we had experienced the satisfaction that can be gained from helping other people.” I thought about Erwin’s article as I read about prisoners making trauma bears in the Australian state of Victoria. The programme – a partnership between Prison Fellowship Australia and the prisons – teaches prisoners how to sew and stuff the soft toys that are provided to emergency service personnel to use to comfort children experiencing an illness or injury and given to disadvantages children in the community. The prisoners may also pay for the materials to make a soft toy for a loved one. Programme volunteers describe the paradox of watching the men who have caused harm work to create the soft toys. As described in the article, “Masculine hands clenched tight ready to harm or reaching out to thieve and finally bound for prison now develop something creative and productive that brings joy to traumatised children and their loved ones.”

Giving back: RCI’s Restorative Justice Program helps inmates help others

from Christine Won's article in the Journal times: On a recent Friday morning, 13 inmates at the Racine Correctional Institution in Sturtevant diligently worked on their needlework, their nimble fingers pulling together tiny stitches or weaves. The fruits of their toil lay strewn about the tables: a Mickey Mouse look-alike, a doll, random bears and other stuffed animals, as well as scarves, hats and more slowly took shape. Those bears and lamb pillows have made their way into little hands around the community, and those mittens and gloves will keep others warm this winter. Charity Crafts is part of the prison’s Restorative Justice Program, through which inmates find ways to give back to the community, according to Tommie Thomas, RCI program supervisor.

Lund, Laurie.. "Restorative justice from prison."

At the time of writing this article, Lund was an inmate in Minnesota. Convicted of a violent crime, she describes her involvement with various restorative justice programs. These include meaningful work both inside and outside of a prison setting, a Speakers Bureau (for inmates to address young people in the community to warn them about the effects of being an offender), and volunteer projects in a local school. She conveys the positive changes in her due to participation in these programs.

International Centre for Prison Studies. "We don't waste prisoners' time and we don't waste bicycles': The impact of restorative work in prisons

In January 2000 the International Centre for Prison Studies launched the Restorative Prison Project. The aims of the project are to review the concepts that shape the use of imprisonment and to work with the Prison Service in Great Britain to explore the possibility of applying restorative principles in the prison setting. This then is a report into the activities in prisons of the Inside Out Trust, an organization that promotes the development of vital links between prisons and the community, as well the development of opportunities for prisoners to do work for the benefit of others. The research in the report deals with the ways in which prisoners and prison staff view the work of the Trust. It also covers the impact of the Trust’s work on the regime of the prisons with which it is associated.

Toews, Barb. Listening to Prisoners Raises Issues about Prison-Based Restorative Justice

In this essay, Barb Toews writes on the basis of her work with prisoners and their families as Restorative Justice Program Manager for the Pennsylvania Prison Society. She reports that many prisoners have spoken of their desires to make amends for the harm they caused and of the lack of resources available to assist them in following through on those desires. The Restorative Justice Program she manages is in fact a direct response to assist prisoners with ways to engage victims and community members about their crimes, to seek restorative and reintegrative processes, and to challenge the prison environment toward a more restorative ideal. The experience of assisting prisoners in these ways enables her to identify in this article the challenges of conceptualizing the application of restorative justice in prison.

McLean, Rachel L. and Thompson, Michael D.. Summary Report: Repaying Debts.

This summary report, the first of its kind, addresses the various types of debts that people released from prisons and jails typically owe their victims, their families, and various criminal justice agencies. his summary provides an overview of the full report, including highlights of relevant research, policies that should guide an initiative to improve the likelihood that people released from prisons and jails or under criminal justice supervision will meet their court-ordered financial obligations, and practical recommendations for implementing these policies. It also includes examples from a variety of cities, counties, and States that may provide useful ideas for other policymakers to tailor to their jurisdictions. Research shows that many individuals released from prisons or jails have a substantial amount of debt, including supervision fees, court costs, victim restitution, and child support. These individuals typically have insufficient resources to pay their debts; and victims, families, and criminal justice agencies often compete for a share of the small payments these ex-inmates can make. Within units of State and local governments, policies that govern the collection of fines, fees, restitution, and child support often conflict with one another, making it difficult for ex-inmates to meet their financial obligations. Ex-inmates' inability to meet their financial obligations can contribute to their reincarceration based on failure to meet the financial portion of probation supervision requirements. The report recommends that States and localities coordinate, and ideally integrate, agencies' policies, procedures, and information systems so that the fines, fees, surcharges, and restitution orders for each person sentenced to prison or jail are consolidated. Child support and victim restitution should be prioritized. Child-support enforcement policies should be enacted to encourage ex-inmate parents to maintain legitimate employment that will help them provide long-term support to their children. (Abstract courtesy of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, www.ncjrs.gov).

Brown-McBride, Suzanne. Enhancing Victim Restitution and Offender Accountability.

For many victims, one meaningful step in mitigating the harm they have endured is to ensure they are paid the restitution they are owed. Having their financial losses (such as damaged property and lost wages) repaid through restitution not only serves to reimburse victims, but also demonstrates that the person who committed the crime is assuming some responsibility for his or her actions. Yet a recent report by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, Repaying Debts, states that victims often fail to receive the restitution they need, in part because state policies effectively result in criminal justice agencies competing with victims for payments from people released from prisons and jails. Other findings from the report support what crime victims and their advocates have long known: that we must change the way we address the collection of all the debts that people released from prison and jail owe if we are to make significant headway in increasing restitution payments. The discussion that follows highlights some of the report's recommendations and the context in which they are made. (excerpt)

A view from behind bars: School of Theology and Ministry exhibition showcases artwork by American prisoners

from the article in The Boston College Chronicle: An exhibition of more than 40 works of art that depict images of grief and hope created by men imprisoned in American jails and penitentiaries will open at the School of Theology and Ministry on March 15. “Seeing the Man: Art From Behind Bars, A Vision of Restorative Justice and Healing” will be on display through April 30 in the Atrium Gallery of the STM Library, located at 117 Lake Street on Brighton Campus. The works of art are provided by Do-Right Ministries, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about the American justice system and promotes healing through art.

Prisons, rehabilitation and justice

by Lynette Parker Recently, I read an article about the struggles faced by the state of Florida after the US Supreme Court banned sentences of life without parole for juveniles who do not kill anyone. In the discussion over the need to revisit cases and re-sentence the offenders, one retired judge was quoted: “There are no resources in prisons for rehabilitation,'' the former judge said. ``You give him 30 years, and he'll get out when he's 45, what's he going to do? Re-offend. Some people, regardless of their age, need to be put away forever.”

Restorative justice and the challenge of prison reform

from Brian Steels' recent paper: Crucially, prisoners have to learn to accept responsibility for the harm their criminal activities have caused to individual victims, family and neighbourhood. This largely transformative component is implemented at the beginning of any given prison sentence and is maintained throughout the term of custody. ....Wherever practical and possible, prisoners are made responsible for any financial compensation owed to victims. To this end, a restoration fund may be established and prisoners able to earn money in order to pay victim compensation. This encourages a degree of responsibility in prisoners whilst providing reparation for victims.

Lost Dog Restorative Justice provides a positive vision

from the "Restorative Justice" page of the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation: In order to rescue more dogs from being put to sleep, we are in need of more foster homes. The Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Maryland is working with the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation to implement a Restorative Justice Program. Utilizing the prison system and appropriate inmates to serve as foster caregivers can greatly increase our capacity to rescue dogs from the threat of euthanasia.

Give prisoners the chance to help the community

from Erwin James'commentary in the Guardian: "I want to be out there, helping people," says one prisoner in the report, who could have been speaking for many of those I met while serving my own 20 years of prison time. ....Probably the best such experience was when I joined the Braille Unit in my first long-term high security prison. The 12 of us who worked in the unit had all been convicted of murder and for most of us it was first time in our lives that we had experienced the satisfaction that can be gained from helping other people. The prison held more than 700 of the most serious offenders in the country, but the only official opportunity for any of us to put something back into the outside community that we had harmed so badly were those 12 places in the Braille Unit.

Missouri prisons grow 50 tons of food for pantries

from the article on stltoday.com: Missouri prisoners have raised more than 50 tons of vegetables and fruit that have been given to food pantries around the state. The Department of Corrections says this year's harvest was significantly higher than last year's, when the agency donated 29 tons of produce through its Restorative Justice Garden Program. Under the program, the seeds and plants are donated to the Corrections Department, which then donates all the resulting food to local pantries.

Biggar, Kathy and Jacobson, Jessica and Edgar, Kimmett. Time well spent: A practical guide to active citizenship and volunteering in prison.

There are five types of active citizenship roles in prisons:• Peer support schemes, whereby prisoners help and support their fellow-prisoners; • Community support schemes involving work with or on behalf of people outside the prison; • Restorative justice programmes, whereby prisoners are encouraged to acknowledge the harm they have caused and to make amends; • Democratic participation in prison life, for example involving membership of prisoner councils or other forums; • Arts and media projects such as prison-based radio-stations or newspapers, or performing arts. This report is based on evidence derived from a survey of prisons and interviews with prisoners and staff involved in active citizenship schemes. It documents the imaginative and effective work that has been pioneered in some prisons. Most prisons, from young offender institutions to high security prisons, provide opportunities for prisoners to be active citizens. Prison staff have demonstrated their expertise in managing risk by developing an array of roles and activities for prisoners that bring out the best in them programmes.