Search results for category: Restorative SystemsTwo years ago, a young man named Anthony mugged a woman named Anne on a London street. Anthony was caught and convicted, and a few days before he was sentenced he sat down with Anne for a face-to-face meeting, as an exercise in what is known as “restorative justice.” The meeting was videotaped by a criminal-justice research group, and to watch the video is to get an even deeper sense of the usefulness of Tilly’s thinking.
The Youth Circles initiative was announced in February, flowing from an award-winning pilot project in St. James Town and Regent Park. It is now training volunteer lawyers and mental-health workers who will be partnered to serve as "circle-keepers," and expects to receive its first referrals early next month through St. Stephen's Community House conflict-resolution service.
Since 1998 the group has brought first-time offenders and their victims together to repair harm caused by criminal activity like break-and-enter, theft, assault, arson, vandalism and more. CRAYA saw a total of 208 referrals in 2006, most of which came from the RCMP but also for the first time from loss prevention officers (LPOs) in local retail stores. Of the total referrals, 137 were deemed “suitable” for the program, he added.
As I type this, I am supposed to be in San Diego, delivering a workshop at the ETech conference. But I'm not. I'm at home, with the doors locked, terrified. For the last four weeks, I've been getting death threat comments on this blog. But that's not what pushed me over the edge. What finally did it was some disturbing threats of violence and sex posted on two other blogs... blogs authored and/or owned by a group that includes prominent bloggers. People you've probably heard of.
This past weekend I attended a three-day seminar which emphasized the importance of developing good listening skills. The course, which was held at Johnson County Community College, was called “Principles of Core Mediation.”
This Thursday and Friday there will be a presentation on campus dealing with restorative justice. There is a push on campus right now for moving from a punishment oriented system to a restorative justice system, in which society will attempt to judge someone by their peers to make you a functioning member of society.
"All restitution must be paid by certified check or money order," Mashburn said. "Obviously, personal checks will not be accepted."
School officials had said they wanted to handle the matter internally and had worked out agreements with the boys' families that included disciplinary action and restitution. Two of the boys apologized to the student body during a chapel service, saying that what was meant to be a "simple prank" escalated, according to a school press release.
But Prosecutor Tony Tague, who later started his own investigation and met with school officials, said the students should be prosecuted because a serious crime had been committed, and a message needed to be sent to students across the county that actions have consequences. The five were charged three weeks after the vandalism.
An executive who lied on financial documents to secure bank loans and keep his sinking company afloat was sentenced Wednesday to 2 1/2 years in prison and $51 million in restitution.
At St George's, this approach [restorative justice] has become embedded in the ethos of the school, and not just because it is capable of mending the harm done in cases of violence, bullying, theft and vandalism, but also in the case of groups of 13- and 14-year-olds who just fall out, like Hannah and her mates.
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