Currently employed by the Pennsylvania Prison Society (Philadelphia, PA) as a Program Manager, she applies restorative justice in prison settings, incorporates the philosophy into offender and offender family programs and collaborates with incarcerated men and women as they develop their own restorative projects.

She also serves as a volunteer facilitator for Pennsylvania’s mediation program for victims of violent crime. In addition, she facilitates victim offender conferencing and restorative justice training for community organizations. Previously, Barb was the founding director of the Lancaster Area Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (Lancaster, PA).

Barb’s recent book, The Little Book of Restorative Justice for People in Prison (Good Books, 2006), suggests ways in which people in prison can practice restorative justice themselves. She has also created resources, including a workbook of restorative justice reflections, for those who are interested in exploring the meaning and practice of RJ in prison.   These materials are available on the Prison Society website.

Barb co-edited, with Howard Zehr, Critical Issues in Restorative Justice (Criminal Justice Press, 2004). She holds a Masters degree in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University and is a PhD student at Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.

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My passion for restorative justice has grown dramatically since I began my work with people in prison. This is largely due to my relationships with incarcerated men and women who have served as my teachers, colleagues and co-practitioners.  Their commitment to restorative justice demonstrates that the philosophy can provide a path to accountability, healing and relationship.

I have also learned that restorative justice challenges society as a whole. How can we live so that we embrace those who offend and recognize our own capacity to harm others? How can we create a restorative society in which all people are equal and valued members, including in times when we offend? Restorative justice takes us beyond criminal justice and toward social justice and daily living. 

-- Barb Toews

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Barb’s research interests focus on the intersection of restorative justice, trauma, prison and offending. She is particularly interested in restorative spaces and how the creation of such spaces can serve as a justice response and challenge the existence of prison. Her work includes an exploration of the potential for metaphors to transform individuals, societies and the way in which people understand the nature and meaning of justice.

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Contact Barb Toews at 
btoews@prisonsociety.org.

Bibliography