Restorative Justice
The mission of the Center for Women in Transition includes the promotion of restorative justice. Restorative Justice is a set of principles that guide the justice process, with a focus on identifying the harm done to the victim, healing the harm and holding the offender accountable, rather than focusing on punishing the offender. Restorative Justice can be implemented in several ways, including Victim/Offender Dialogues, Family Group Conferencing, Neighborhood Accountability Boards, Circle Sentencing and Victim Impact Panels.
In 2004, the Center for Women in Transition worked with others in the community to found Missouri Restorative Justice Initiative to educate Missourians about restorative justice and promote its practice in Missouri. Over the three years of the Initiative, awareness of restorative justice has increased and additional restorative justice practices have blossomed.
To learn more about the Missouri Restorative Justice Coalition, please visit www.morjc.org!
- There are now 15 Juvenile Courts in the state that have implemented restorative justice principles and practices in the disposition of at least some of their cases.
- The Department of Corrections, in addition to its reparative program and Impact of Crime on Victims classes in the correctional facilities, is facilitating Victim Offender Dialogue in crimes of severe violence.
- The Division of Probation & Parole of the Department of Corrections, in addition to its reparative boards, is also making Impact of Crime on Victims classes available through all of its district offices.
- Several school districts in Missouri have now incorporated restorative justice practices in their curricula and in the way they are responding to disciplinary cases.
- Restorative justice practices are being used or developed in several adult courts, including Victim Impact Panels (Lincoln and Greene Counties) and Victim/Offender Dialogues (Greene County and the City of Columbia).
