Seeking Restorative Justice |TODAY|

Submitted by dan. on 2007-04-02 22:12.
Community Action | Law Enforcement | Offender Support | Victim Support

Kory Douglas of the Lafayette County Victim/Witness Program in the District Attorney's Office, said the program is certainly beneficial. "It's a great opportunity for the victims to be able to address their offenders and for the offenders to be able to apologize Š to face the victims so that they are able to be a close-knit community," she said.

"(LCRJ) picks up where the criminal justice system leaves off," Simonson said. "It doesn't substitute for (it). It's a way to bring healing among the victim, offender and community, and we (LCRJ facilitators) are kind of the community."

It's the [non-]adversarial nature of restorative justice that has brought "tremendous support" from the criminal justice system, Simonson said, with the exception of defense attorneys, who rely on the bedrock principle of "innocent until proven guilty."

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