Restorative Resources introduced restorative justice to Sonoma County, and since 2002 we have provided restorative conferencing for over 700 juvenile offenders and the victims of their crimes. Less than 8% of participating young offenders re-offend.
We are working to bring about a world where our justice systems heal, our schools transform behavior challenges into emotional growth for our children, and our communities come together with compassion and creativity to overcome the challenges we face.
Below are some of the cases that we've worked with, from the perspective of the individuals who were involved:
Letter From A Mother
I was at my wits end with my adolescent son. Three weeks into the school year he was arrested for assault. This time he had caused physical harm to another teen. I asked that he be taken to juvenile hall. I explained to the arresting officer a lifetime of assorted attempts to change the destructive course my son was obviously on.
The beginning of the REAL change happened the day we got involved with Restorative Resources. For the first time my son was forced to look at how his actions impacted others in a domino-like effect. The connection was genuine as he had to look at the faces and into the eyes of numerous individuals wronged by the unscrupulous choice he had made on that day.
Through the restorative process he was forced to take responsibility for his behavior and to make a real effort to repair the harm he had caused so many people.
My son concluded this program with astounding personal growth...This is not to say he doesn't make poor choices now and then; the difference is he takes responsibility for his choices and seeks to resolve and repair harm on his own. For the first time in his life, I believe my son is proud of the person he is becoming.
A Tale of Two Circles
A middle school called to ask for help with a conflict involving 11 boys in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The boys had been friends last year, but had now split into two camps along ethnic lines. They were constantly harassing each other, using racial slurs and other insults. There had been some punches thrown. Their behavior was steadily escalating and was affecting the entire campus and spilling into the neighborhoods.
The First Circle
The first circle included the boys, a Restorative Resources' circle keeper, and a school safety officer. The standard restorative questions were used to give the boys a chance to clarify the situation, describe how they were affected, and what they thought was needed to make things right.
While most of them agreed that the conflicts were "dumb," the main solution they came up with was to "ignore each other."
The circle lasted about a half hour. When the boys left they got about 20 feet outside the door of the room in which the circle had been held, and immediately someone called somebody else a name, and the insult was answered, and it nearly escalated into a fight.
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