How Restorative Justice Works
When crime or conflict occurs…
Restorative justice Practices Center Around 3 Questions:
What Happened?
Who has been affected and how?
What will be done to repair the harm and make things right?
How RJ Differs from Court
Restorative Justice
The Evidence-Based approach guiding BRITE Co.’s Programs
Offense is thought to be harmful to another person and the community.
Approach is cooperative: based on dialogue and consensus.
The reparative agreement is created using a strengths-based approach.
Community representatives participate in the process.
Offender accepts responsibility for harm done and takes action to repair the harm.
Depends upon participation by all parties involved.
Victims are central to the repair plan.
Retributive Justice
The foundation for the conventional justice system in the united states
Offense is thought to be violation of law and the state.
Approach is adversarial: based on debate and opposition.
Goal is to issue punishment & equivalent retribution.
Community is represented by the courts, attorneys, judge.
Offender is punished and is often not given the opportunity to take responsibility for harmful actions.
Depends on professionals for outcomes.
Victims’ concerns are considered last.
The Five Rs of Restorative Justice
Relationship - Respect - Responsibility - Repair - Reintegration
Impact
Read what BRITE Co.’s clients have to say about their experiences with restorative justice.
Community Group Conference
A facilitated dialogue for those impacted by crime and conflict
The conference model designed by LCJP’s founder.
Participants will:
Witness the responsible person(s) take accountability for causing harm.
Hear from each other about who was affected by the crime/conflict and how.
Work together to determine what the responsible person(s) will do to make things right.
Agree by consensus on a contract that the responsible person(s) will complete to repair the harms caused by their actions.
What is a CGC?
A confidential restorative justice model attended by two trained facilitators, the person(s) responsible for causing harm, the harmed parties, community member volunteers and a police officer.
All participants in the conference will first meet with BRITE Collaborative’s trained Facilitators to better understand the harm that was caused and the impacts of that harm.
All participants then move to a conference (typically 2 hours) with a Facilitator, Co-Facilitator, and Community Members who are trained by BRITE Collaborative to be multi-partial and allow the conference to be a brave space for all.
At the end of the conference an agreement is reached by consensus with strengths-based actions that the responsible person will take to repair the harm caused.
Why Use a CGC?
The program aims to:
Give those involved in crime or conflict an opportunity to work together to determine the best way to make things right.
Provide an opportunity for closure and healing.
Ensure that everyone involved feels heard and respected.
What is RJ?
This model is based on the evidence based practice of restorative justice.
Your Story, Your Power
Guiding Youth to Find Their Voice & Share Their Story
A theatre program created in partnership with BRITE Collaborative and Mirror Image Arts
Participants will:
Learn how to safely and proactively take accountability.
Express new ways of expressing themselves and telling their story.
Reflect on decision-making, and their individual impact and agency.
Learn how to develop healthy relationships with peers.
Experience feeling seen, valued, and heard.
BRITE Collaborative and Mirror Image Arts can work with your municipality, community based organization or school to bring Your Story, Your Power to your community!
What is YSYP?
Your Story, Your Power (YSYP) is a restorative group program for youth ages 11-18! Youth are given the opportunity to explore power, impact, and decision making all while practicing healthy risk-taking and communication skills. The workshop is based in somatic, experiential learning and utilizes a positive youth development framework.
BRITE Collaborative offers this program in partnership with Mirror Image Arts (MIA), an art-based non-profit in Denver, Colorado.
The program is 8 hours and scheduled over two consecutive days.
Why YSYP?
The program aims to:
Provide youth with a pro-social, safe, community-based learning experience in order to support better decision-making in the future.
Explore/reflect/strengthen relationships: to themselves, to one another, and to the broader community by using theater exercises to explore decision making, impact, and harm.
Create opportunities for youth participants to meaningfully engage and lead programmatic elements.
How Do I Register?
Contact us to register for an upcoming session!
Responsible Persons
You Want to Make Things Right
We are here to help.
BRITE Co. provides restorative justice services to persons who have been involved with crime and conflict.
Here you will find information about:
Considerations for deciding to participate in restorative justice
Facts about our Community Restorative Justice Program
Standard Timeline of a Restorative Justice Case
Next steps for your case
Frequently Asked Questions
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In this process, your voice and your experience matter.
The goal is to repair the harm that was done, while also recognizing that harm may extend beyond anyone’s capacity for repair.
Once you have taken responsibility and heard how you harmed others, you are expected to make repair to the greatest extent possible.
At BRITE Co., this results in closure and satisfaction. 100% of responsible persons feel their voices were adequately considered. In addition, 98% of conference participants feel the tone of the conference was friendly.
It is essential that all stakeholders in the incident be involved in identifying the harms and have a voice in how it will be repaired.
It is through taking responsibility for one’s own behavior, and making repair, that people may regain or strengthen their self-respect and the respect of others.
Remember, Restorative Justice is Voluntary. It is your choice to participate.
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If you choose to resolve this case with restorative justice, you will participate in an intake phone call, a pre-conference meeting and a conference.
In the first two meetings, you will talk about what happened with case coordinators and facilitators. You will share which of your actions caused harm and how, and how you want to make things right.
The intake and pre-conference are designed to help you process what has happened and prepare what you want to say in the conference. Our staff and facilitators are trained to work with people who have caused harm, and you can expect to be treated with respect.
In the conference you will meet with the person(s) you harmed. This process is led by trained facilitators. The facilitators will guide every person in sharing their perspectives. Everyone will have been screened and prepared by the facilitators. You will take responsibility, hear how your actions hurt others and the community, and work with those in the conference to make a contract for how you will repair the harms.
The conference will end with you agreeing to complete a contract to repair harms.
We understand that being a part of Restorative Justice is not necessarily easy or comfortable. BRITE Co. staff and volunteers recognize the courage it takes to be held accountable for your actions, and we appreciate your willingness to make things right.
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Each contract is unique.
Your contract will repair the harms that resulted from your actions.
Throughout the process, you will be asked to share more information about who you are, what you like to do and things that you are good at doing. With more information about you, the conference participants will work with you to incorporate some of your strengths into reparative actions.
Your Case Manager will give you more information about this during your intake phone call.
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Not sure if you want to resolve what’s happened with restorative justice?
Visit the “How RJ Works” page for additional information.
Restorative Justice Forms for Participants
Formularios para Participantes
You may just need to talk to someone about your case.
Our Program team is ready to answer your questions. Call our Community Restorative Justice Office at 303-651-8879.
Harmed Parties
Welcome.
We hope to support you to have your voice heard, and your needs met, through Restorative Justice.
BRITE Co. provides restorative justice services to people who have been harmed by crime and conflict.
Here you will find information about:
Considerations for deciding to participate in restorative justice
Facts about our Community Restorative Justice Program
Standard Timeline for a Restorative Justice Case
Next steps for your case
-
In this process, your voice and your experience matter.
The goal is to repair the harm that was done, while also recognizing that harm may extend beyond anyone’s capacity for repair.
Once the persons involved have accepted responsibility for their behavior and have heard in the restorative process about how you and others were harmed by their actions, they are expected to make repair.
At BRITE Co. this means closure and satisfaction. 100% of harmed parties feel their voices were adequately considered, and 100% of harmed parties feel the offender was held accountable for their actions. In addition, 98% of conference participants feel the tone of the conference was friendly.
It is essential that all stakeholders in the incident be involved in identifying the harms and have a voice in how it will be repaired.
Remember, Restorative Justice is Voluntary. It is your choice to participate.
-
If you choose to resolve this case with restorative justice, you will participate in an intake phone call, a pre-conference meeting and a conference.
In the first two meetings, you will share with case coordinators and facilitators about what has happened and how you were affected. The intake and pre-conference are designed to help you process what happened and prepare what you want to say in the conference. Our staff and facilitators are trained to work with people who have been through something difficult, and you can expect to be treated with respect.
In the conference you will meet with the person(s) who caused harm. This process is led by trained facilitators. The facilitators will guide everyone in sharing. The responsible person(s) must take responsibility for their actions in order to participate. They have been screened by the facilitators to ensure their readiness to do so.
The conference will end with the person(s) who caused harm agreeing to complete a contract to repair harms. You will be notified when the contract has been completed.
We recognize that being a part of Restorative Justice is not necessarily easy or comfortable. BRITE Co. staff and volunteers take responsibility to uphold the values and principles of Restorative Justice, which prioritize care for the harmed person and their overall experience.
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We understand. You have been harmed, and this has already taken your time and energy.
There are several options for ensuring your voice is still a part of the process, even if you do not want to attend. Those options include submitting in writing how you were affected through a Victim Impact Statement, or being represented in the conference by a volunteer Surrogate Victim.
Your BRITE Co. Case Coordinator will talk with you about how much you want to be involved in the process, or not, and will work with you to find the solution that feels the best for you.
Not sure if you want to resolve what’s happened with restorative justice?
Visit the “How RJ Works” page for additional information.
You may just need to talk to someone about your case.
Our staff is ready to answer your questions. Call our Community Restorative Justice Office at 303-651-8879.
Ready to take the first step and schedule an Intake Call?
Please call our Community Restorative Justice Staff at 303-651-8879.
Please complete this questionnaire at your earliest convenience. Use the case number and date that was provided to you in an email from LCJP.
We read all evaluations carefully and appreciate your feedback.
Thank you for bringing your voice to Restorative Justice!
Contract Resources
Explore contract ideas proposed by LCJP volunteers and LCJP staff. Visit community partners’ directories for Other events or community service ideas.
If you have a contract idea let us know! Please note: we can only accept contract items that can be completed safely during social distancing and current state COVID regulations.
If you are planning on suggesting a contract item during a conference, please confirm that they are accepting volunteers or visitors.
You can also view past contract items for inspiration!
Online Resources
| Name | Dates | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Tours and Reflections | Ongoing | During global social-distancing, many aquariums, museums, and historic sites are offering virtual tours and other online content to explore. Go on a virtual tour with a relevant site and write or record a reflection on what you learned. | Find Tour Schedules HERE. |
| Healthy Gamer YouTube Channel | Ongoing | Hosted by a Harvard Psychiatrist who works specifically with the gaming community. He covers mental health topics, and invites well known members of the gaming community to join him in conversation about these topics. Could be used to invite conversation or reflection as a contract item. | Click HERE for YouTube Channel. |
| Youth-led Video on Suicide Prevention | Ongoing | Even when suicidality is not a direct part of a conference, mental health and effective peer-to-peer communication may be relevant. | Click HERE for a Video Intro. |
Activities with Peers
| Name | Dates | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your Story, Your Power | Ongoing | This is a full-day, in-person restorative theatre workshop held monthly at LCJP. We provide a space for youth to follow a step-by-step day of reflecting on decisions, sharing stories, creating new stories together and moving from getting to know each other to stretching into taking social risks. This learning is based in restorative values paired with Theatre of the Oppressed and improvisational theatre techniques. | Register HERE. |
| Boulder County Youth Calendar | Ongoing | Find events by age group, interest and location! All events are appropriate for youth, but some are for the general public and not only young people. | Click HERE for Events Calendar. |
Volunteering Opportunities
| Name | Dates | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mile High United Way Directory | Ongoing | Visit Mile High United Way and Spark the Change Colorado to view virtual volunteering opportunities in the Denver Metro area. This list can be filtered for age, location and the type of volunteering. | Mile High United Way Directory Spark The Change Colorado |
| Volunteer with the Round Pantry | Ongoing | This opportunity is hosted by Westview Presbyterian Church. Volunteers must be of Middle School age or older, 11-14 year olds must be accompanied by an adult who volunteers with them. | Round Pantry Overview |
| Wildlands Restoration Volunteers | Ongoing | Help local ecology by volunteering outdoors. | Learn More HERE. |
Paid Opportunities
| Name | Dates | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Futures Youth Coalition | Ongoing | This is a program of Boulder County Public Health that is aimed to reduce youth substance use. Rolling applications available - apply any time. Those entering 9th grade through 20 years old are eligible. Stipended position requiring attendance at monthly meetings. During social distancing, these meetings are happening via Zoom. | To apply, visit bit.ly/HFCYouthApp -OR- Request a paper application from info@lcjp.org |
Resource Lists & Support
| Name | Dates | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Young Invincibles | Ongoing | This program has an excellent resource list for young adults with everything from COVID-relevant scholarships to help for food insecurity. | Click HERE for the Colorado Resources Page. |
| Colorado Restorative Justice Council Resources List | Ongoing | This list is organized by topic and includes a lot, from Restorative Parenting to Mindfulness. | Click HERE to Browse the List at RJColorado.org. |
| Free Weekly Support Group for Parents of Adolescents | Ongoing | This group is meeting through video chat on Tuesdays from 6pm-7pm. It is hosted by Centennial Peaks Hospital. | Contact Betsy Mclain LPC, CACIII at elizabeth.mclain@uhsinc.com or call 303-666-2009. |
