Frequently Ask Questions

Restorative Justice Practices can benefit individuals and communities in various settings, including environmental, business, medical, familial, governmental, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and community dynamics. Conflict is an inevitable part of human interaction, and our current social structure tends to associate harm with punishment and loss, leading to separateness, fear, and insufficiency. However, restorative justice offers a better way to protect ourselves and keep ourselves safe by coming together, hearing all points of view, listening carefully, reflecting, asking open-ended questions, ensuring clarity, using discernment to critique, and skillfully applying compassion to find solutions and agreements that fulfill the core needs of all involved.

Restorative justice practices are effective because they customize how each harm will be addressed case by case, providing consistence in measures of truth and accountability, while also allowing for adaptability and customization in situations that require deeper education. Instead of punishing people, restorative justice aims to heal individuals and communities by addressing the harm caused, preventing future occurrences, and mending relational and systemic dynamics related to the incident. Restorative justice is a humane and historically healing approach to justice, law, and morality based on the fundamental belief that humanity is naturally poised and supremely capable of living in harmony and freedom with each other, the planet, and our resources.

Restorative justice practices are designed to prevent, address and repair harm in a variety of contexts, including environmental harm, community harm, business disputes, social justice movements, medical harms, interpersonal dynamics and intrapersonal healing. The approach uses effective communication, accountability, compassion and follow-through to engage all parties involved in a constructive dialogue aimed at finding creative and satisfactory solutions to the conflict at hand.

To determine whether a restorative justice process is suitable, both parties involved must demonstrate a sincere willingness to participate, and those who have caused harm must take responsibility for their actions. If these conditions are met, a series of pre-conference meetings and preparation work is undertaken, with facilitators meeting individually with participants to understand their perspectives and identify what they need to give or receive in order to repair harm.

To support participants during the process, each participant can invite a support person who is coached to provide the necessary emotional and practical support. Additionally, community members who may or may not have been directly impacted by the situation are invited to participate in the process to provide input on how to repair harm and to serve as accountability partners to the participants.

The facilitated dialogue process, called a community group conference, is then held with all parties involved, using group agreements to ensure safety and honesty. The conference involves reviewing the situation and the impacts of the harm incurred, and collectively deciding on what needs to happen and who needs to take responsibility to repair the harm.

Once a healing agreement is formed and all parties involved consent, the agreement is signed with specific deadlines and check-in times established to support follow-through and completion. Follow-up and check-in times occur to ensure that healing agreement items are completed, and a closing meeting and/or celebration concludes the process.

Long-term impact is tracked by setting check-in dates at six-month and one-year intervals. Successful participants are invited to participate in a 9-month restorative justice process training to learn how to use these practices in their own communities.

Entrepreneurs. Businesses. Developers. Doctors. Patients. Community Organizers. Social Workers. Government Workers. People in Recovery. Family Members. Teachers. Politicians. Clergy. Policy Makers. Accountants. Human Resource Associates. Executive Directors. Parents, Children. Students. People with a criminal record. People causing harm under the radar. Case Managers. People called to moral repair, people called in integrity without trauma. Activists. People who have messed up and want to make it right. People who have been hurt and want to heal. People who want to get to the root. People who want to change. Us. We do Restorative Justice.

We believe in the transformative power of restorative processes for individuals and communities. We offer a safe, brave and inclusive space with people from all walks of life, welcoming of all backgrounds to engage in meaningful healing and growth.

Qualifications are not a barrier here; we welcome everyone, whether they have a criminal history or a clean record. Our focus is on fostering a community-centered and process-oriented approach, where the strengths, needs, skills, gifts, and talents of all participants are recognized and valued.

Whether you've caused harm, been harmed, or have been impacted by harm, such as a community member seeking resolution, you can call us to initiate a restorative process. Once contacted, other involved parties will be interviewed to gauge their willingness and interest in participating.

We embrace the core values of interdependence, radical responsibility, and collective transformation through individual empowerment. Radical responsibility means acknowledging that each participant in a conflict has 100% responsibility for their actions, creating a total of 2000% responsibility within a group of 20 people. This responsibility varies for each participant based on their role, power dynamics, social location, and impact on the group.

Regardless of your role or experience, whether you feel responsible for harm caused, have been harmed, witnessed harm, or have been impacted, we encourage you to initiate the process. Our goal is to facilitate a supportive environment where everyone can contribute to the healing journey and growth of the community as a whole