The Impact of Crime Project is operational at the Center for Women in Transition. It involves the Center's mentees (non-violent women offenders) in sessions where they explore and answer the harm questions, who was harmed, how were they harmed, and what should be done to repair the harm. Thereafter, if the victims of the crime want to participate, and the offenders are ready, facilitators will conduct a Victim Offender Dialogue. For further information on this project, contact Nina Balsam at nina@cwitstl.org
A number of representatives of stakeholder groups have been meeting for a year to try to promote additional Restorative Justice Programming in adult criminal courts. The representatives are planning to present about Restorative Justice at conferences and other events involving the stakeholder groups they represent. The work of this committee will culminate in a large educational and training event for stakeholders in November of 2009. For further information on this proiject, contact Nina Balsam at nina@cwitstl.org.
The 45th Judicial Circuit sponsored the development of a Domestic Violence Victim Impact Panel in 2007. This project provides for victims/survivors of domestic violence ot tell perpetrators (but not their perpetrators) about the impact of the crime on them. Victims are healed and empowered through the experience and perpetrators are better able to understand the impact of the their crime, and less likely to recidivate as a result of their participation in the process. A DVD about the panels is also being produced and will be available to the public for sale to the public in the fall of 2008. For more information, contact Alison Brown, Project Coordinator, at ABrown@bridgewaycounseling.com
Community Conflict Services (CCS) is a community justice center that was developed through the effrots of a collaboration of providers of community mediation and restorative justice providers, ciminal justice system personnel, non-profits dedicated to offender re-entry, victim advocates, and others. It is dedicated to the promotion of community mediation and restorative justice practices, It also provides training and education in conflict resolution. The Coalition was integrally involved in its development. The organization is now incorporated as a non-profit, has a working Board of Directors and is seeking 501(c)(3) status. CCS is crrently sponsoring a number of community mediation projects and several restorative justice projects. For further information, see the Directory of Restorative Justice Services page of this site.
In 2008, a jointly sponsored program of the MO Department of Corrections and Beyond the Fences-Ministries of Restorative Justice, entitled Circles of Transformation, was initiated and funded by the United Methodist Church MO Conference Social Justice Team. lFacilitators from the Community Mediation Center of Independence trained local church members who were approved VIC's (Volunteers in Correction) in the "Circle Process". These volunteers worked with offenders in the Transitional Housing Unit of the Chillicothe Correctional Center facilitating multiple Circles during which they examined the issues the women were facing upon release. The program has proved highly popular among the offenders participating and with the staff at Chillicothe. For more information on this program, contact Rev. Harold Johnson, Coordinator, at hmjohnso@sbcglobal.net or 816.537.5696.