First, it offers strategic oversight of the Network as a whole. Second, it is responsible for operational leadership. Third, it refers individual cases and people to the appropriate parts of the Network. Fourth, it ensures that community and government programmes and elements receive training and assistance to perform their work well. Fifth, it monitors the Network to assess and increases, as needed, the restorativeness of the Network as a whole and of its individual components. Finally, it provides administrative coordination within the Hub and the Network.

Community and government representatives make up the bodies that carry out the oversight and operational responsibilities. This assures that both have integral roles in Network leadership and design. The Hub’s referral mechanisms guide and follow cases from the moment they are reported by citizens, police, or others as they proceed through the appropriate parts of the Network. The Hub’s training and assistance activities aim to increase understanding of and participation in the Network. It raises awareness of restorative justice values and gives visibility to the work of the Network with the goal of recruiting new programmes and individuals to take part in the Network. Finally, the Hub facilitates development of best practices based on community and programme experience as well as on broader legal and human rights standards. It uses those best practices to certify or register programmes as part of the Network, and to carry out evaluations to improve practices.

The Structure of the Hub

The Steering Committee and Executive Committee are composed of community and government members in order to give both an integral role in Network leadership and design. The Steering Committee provides strategic leadership to the rest of the Hub, overseeing the overall effectiveness of the Network.

The Executive Committee is responsible for operational leadership of the Network. It is composed of leaders from the Resolution, Community Building, and Order Spheres of the Network. It receives overall direction from the Steering Committee, and is responsible for implementing changes in the Network and communicating information from its various sectors to the Steering Committee.

The Referral Department of the Hub receives cases from citizens, schools, police, and so forth. It also refers cases and delegates responsibilities to the appropriate part or parts of the Network. This department is also responsible for public education, training, and assistance activities and for recruiting new programmes and individuals to participate in the Network.

The Monitoring Committee elicits community input for Network standards by comparing human rights standards with community standards. It certifies and registers programmes associated with the Network. It also assesses actual practices within the Network in relation to the best practices and legal rights established within the Network. Three specific issues that are monitored are: (a) whether the agreement was kept, (b) whether the agreement was reasonable, and (c) whether there are patterns in the agreements that indicate unwarranted disparity based on race, gender, class, etc.

Finally, an Administrative staff provides administrative assistance for each of these bodies. The Administrative staff also coordinates the activities of restorative justice experts who contract with the Network to offer specialized expertise, training, and programme development

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is made up of community members and Network leadership and staff. Committee members are elected to six-year terms, with terms staggered so that five members are elected every two years. Qualifications to serve include active volunteer participation in the Network and a good knowledge of and commitment to restorative theories, practices, principles, and skills.

Committee members other than those elected at-large will be nominated by different constituencies in RJ City as noted below. The City Council will either appoint the nominees or request a new nomination in those instances in which the nominee is deemed unqualified. Nominations to the 15-person Committee shall be made as follows:

• One business leader nominated by the RJ City Business Association
• One faith community leader nominated by the RJ City Interfaith Council
• One victim representative nominated by the Network programmes providing assistance to crime victims
• One ex-offender representative nominated by the Network programmes providing assistance to ex-offenders
• One representative nominated by the private criminal defense bar
• One representative nominated by private attorneys who represent crime victims
• One representative nominated by K-12 teachers (public and private)
• One representative nominated by higher education professors
• One representative nominated by facilitators from the Resolution Sphere
• One representative nominated by judges from the Resolution Sphere
• One representative nominated from the Community Building Sphere
• One representative nominated from the Order Sphere
• Three at-large members nominated in city-wide elections

The Steering Committee’s specific duties include the following:

1. Establish strategic plans to accomplish the restorative vision for RJ City.
2. Ensure that the Monitoring Committee annually evaluates the Network and its component parts in light of restorative principles, values and goals.
1. It considers what follow up action should be taken in light of these evaluations.
2. Follow-up action can include more in-depth research into particular parts of the Network.
3. The purpose of this review and follow-up activity is to increase the restorativeness of the Network as a whole and of its component parts.
4. Any intervention required as a result of the evaluation will be conducted consistently with restorative principles, values and goals.
3. Ensure that leaders and staff in the Network are familiar with and supportive of the principles of restorative justice.
4. Review reports from the Monitoring, Referring, and Administrative bodies of the Hub.
5. Review the efficiency and/or cost-effectiveness of the Network and its component parts and make recommendations to the Executive Committee.

The Committee has a staff with expertise in restorative practices and in innovations in restorative justice and with expertise in budgetary and administrative coordination.

The Steering Committee meets as frequently as is needed, but not less frequently than once a quarter. The Committee operates by consensus.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is made up of 9 people. The Coordinators of the three Spheres are automatically members. The other six Committee members are elected by the Steering Committee to three-year terms, staggered so that two members are elected each year. Members are selected as follows:

1. The Coordinator of the Resolution Sphere as well as one professional and one volunteer from the Resolution Sphere nominated by the Coordinator
2. The Coordinator of the Community Building Sphere as well as one professional and one volunteer from the Community Building Sphere nominated by the Coordinator
3. The Coordinator of the Order Sphere as well as one professional and one volunteer from the Order Sphere nominated by the Coordinator

If any of the nominees fails to be ratified by the Steering Committee, the affected Coordinator nominates another candidate.

The Executive Committee’s specific responsibilities include:

1. Developing and implementing operational plans to carry out the strategic plans set by the Steering Committee
2. Ensuring that the various component parts of the Network are working together effectively.
3. Ensuring that the principles of restorative justice permeate all departments of the Network.

The Executive Committee meets as frequently as needed, but not less frequently than every two weeks.

Referral, Monitoring and Administration

The Referral Department works operationally with the Executive Committee and strategically with the Steering Committee. It is the agency that receives all criminal cases entering the Network and refers them to programmes within the Resolution Sphere for resolution (or elsewhere, according to guidelines the Referral Department has prepared). It is responsible for informing the parties in each case about their options so that they can make informed choices and for keeping them updated on the status of their case. It is also responsible for public education, training, and assistance activities and for recruiting new programmes and individuals to participate in the Network

The Monitoring Committee is responsible for observing and evaluating the workings of the Network. They conduct evaluation studies on the component parts of the Network to ensure that they are working as restoratively and effectively as possible. They assess sentences and agreements in terms of their restorativeness and fairness. The Monitoring Committee identifies systemic problems and makes suggestions for changes that could address those problems. It works operationally with the Executive Committee and strategically with the Steering Committee.

The Administrative Staff of the Hub assists members of the Steering and Executive Committees, as well as the Referral Department and Monitoring Committee. In addition, some restorative justice experts are employed to perform special tasks or to provide professional input to the Steering or Executive Committees. For example, they review developments in restorative justice and report to the committees and departments in order to keep them up to date in restorative theory and practice.

Using Technology

In RJ City, every change in technology and culture is used to the Network’s advantage. For example, an internet-based, technologically advanced data processing system is used to keep track of cases as they pass through the Network. Access to these databases is very limited in order to preserve privacy.  Several web sites are available to the general populace and additional sites are available to the programmes affiliated with the Network. These websites provide user-friendly information on every aspect of the Network. They also feature a search engine that quickly and easily brings up a list of programmes that can deal with particular kinds of cases. The private websites provide an opportunity for programmes to interact and connect with each other on individual cases and patterns of cases. Network staff and affiliates are provided with, and are expected to use, equipment, and access to a common internet-based data management system.

For people who are unable or unwilling to access or understand online information, RJ City also provides information at local libraries and other community meeting places.