What are your thoughts on restorative justice programs?

A recent article in the Denver Post described a local woman’s experience with restorative justice. She chose to meet with the man who will spend the rest of his life in prison for his participation in a drive-by shooting that killed her young son. Read the full story here.

Restorative justice programs are growing across the country and across Colorado. Visit the State of Colorado's website for a list of programs listed by county that provide restorative justice services.

One Denver Metro-based restorative justice program is the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) of Denver. This organization was created as a response to the 1993 “Summer of Violence” in Denver. The organization operates on the following 3 tenants of restorative justice:

• Accountability – allows offenders to accept responsibility in the presence of those who were impacted by their actions
  
• Competency Development – allows offenders to learn empathy, effective communication and conflict resolution skills
• Victim and Community Empowerment – allows those impacted by the crime(s) to communicate their feelings, and have a voice in how the offender can make amends for his or her actions
  

Participation in these programs is strictly voluntary and generally requires that the offender has been able to meet a number of requirements including expressing genuine remorse for his or her actions.

Bethany’s questions to the readers of this blog:
Would you consider participating in a restorative justice meeting after having been affected by a crime?
Have any of you participated in such a meeting in the past? If so, was it a positive experience?
Would you encourage your child to participate in a restorative justice program if he or she committed a crime?

Please feel free to leave comments on the blog or email Bethany directly with your thoughts.

Let’s discuss!