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Restorative Processes
Options for Adult Restorative Processes
Circles A restorative circle is a process that fosters cooperation and responsibility in situations where there is mutual responsibility. A restorative circle often doesn’t specify victims and those responsible. The circle is a process that brings together individuals who wish to engage in conflict resolution, or other activities in which honest communication and relationship development are emphasized.
DUI Circle This meeting is for individuals who were charged with a DUI and referred to the Diversion program. It is a group circle process that takes place once the individual has regained their driver’s license. Participants meet on Zoom with a case manager and community members to share what happened at the time of their charge and reflect on what has changed since. The meeting may also be appropriate for individuals who were charged with a different offense but lost their license as a result of the incident.
Impact Meeting A meeting where victim representatives and/or members of the community meet and talk with those responsible for crime and harm about the impacts of crime. The group is composed of a small group of citizens, and may include cultural advocates, who are trained to participate in face-to-face meetings. Victims do not typically attend these meeting with some exceptions but are often represented through a written statement or by victim liaison who is in attendance. The group talks about the nature of the offense, impact of the behavior, and consequences. The group reaches a consensus about what the person will do to repair the harm to the degree that it is possible. This may be one, two, or three meetings.
Restorative Group Conference A conference is a structured meeting between those responsible for crime/harm, victims and support people like family and friends and may involve impacted community members, with the goal of addressing the harm of the crime and deciding how best to repair it. It is a victim-sensitive, straightforward problem-solving method that demonstrates how communities can resolve their own problems. Conferences provide an opportunity for the victim to meet directly with the person responsible, to express feelings, ask questions, and to have a say in how harm is repaired. The person responsible hears firsthand how their behavior has impacted people.
Victim Offender Dialogue Victim Offender Dialogue is usually a face-to-face meeting between the victim of a crime and the person who committed that crime with the presence of a trained facilitator. The facilitator ensures the safety of the dialogue by setting ground rules for the process and holding all parties accountable to those ground rules. The conversation between the offender and victim may explore what happened, who was affected and how and gives voice to the most directly involved parties. This is most often initiated at the wish of the victim.
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