Marjorie Bing Stanislaw has served in the justice system for 27 years.  She is dedicated to working with community members to bring about vital system changes in regard to justice outcomes.  She believes that work needs to be done “with communities” not “for communities.”

Currently, Marjorie co-chairs the Westmoreland County Juvenile Court’s Balanced and Restorative Justice Team’s Community and Media Relations Committee, which involves facilitating the Jeannette Community Justice Project (JCJP).  The JCJP, in the City of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, consists of dedicated community members and justice professionals striving to bring restorative practices and philosophies to the community.

Marjorie is committed to spreading the restorative justice message. In 2002, she provided training on Community Based Monitoring and Restoration at the Annual Training Conference of the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission. In recognition of her outstanding service to PA’s juvenile justice system, Marjorie received the Court Support Service Award given by the PA Juvenile Court Judge’s Commission in 2004.

Marjorie was a co-facilitator and presenter of the Building a Restorative Community Conference in Westmoreland County, PA. She has served as a presenter for

• PA Association of Probation, Parole and Corrections and the Juvenile Detention Centers Association of PA
• Finger Lakes Restorative Justice Center in Batavia, New York,
• International Conference on Restorative Justice.

Marjorie also consults for the East Hills Community Restorative Project in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a principal in the start-up firm Strategic Circles, a planning and consulting firm specializing in restorative practices.

Important Idea

“Communities are the touchstone and the key to the implementation of restorative practices.  Many communities’ members and groups are already doing restorative things and it is crucial to champion these efforts and connect community members that have the same vision.  Crime separates communities and their members.  It is vital that communities and justice systems make efforts to reintegrate both victims and offenders into community life.  When Courts and justice systems become involved in communities and need to utilize restorative practices, bridges to these communities must be built.  Justice system workers cannot hope to deal with victim issues until there is an understanding of the victim’s community and the community culture within which any harm as occurred.  This same philosophy must apply to offenders as well—it is pertinent to remember that ‘Hurt people, hurt people.’

Our hope for the future lies in our young people.  In order to build restorative communities, our young people need to be modeled and to live restorative practices.  Schools, business, courts and neighborhoods must be infused with a restorative lifestyle.  In this way, we can make deep, meaningful change not only for the justice system, but for all of us to be better able to respond to human needs.”

–Marjorie Bing Stanislaw

Leading Edge

Marjorie seeks ways to bring together multiple agencies and people to create community-wide change. The Jeannette Community Justice Project (JCJP) has been an example to other communities of the effectiveness of restorative justice. As a result, there are now 2 other community justice projects in the county, an after school project using restorative practices and a community network of businesses and agencies that this year will begin work on a reintegration project for juvenile offenders.

Another example is her consultancy with the East Hills Community Restoration Project. She has conferred with community members and over 70 government and social service agencies to assess the community’s needs and prospects for revitalization.  This first-of-its-kind project in the United States brings HUD, the FBI and various other law enforcement, government, and social services agencies together to work “with” the community to improve socio-economic outcomes.
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Contact Marjorie Stanislaw at

mstanisl@co.westmoreland.pa.us

July 2006