This commentary is by Melinda Moulton of Huntington, CEO of Main Street Landing in Burlington.
Restorative justice brings together those involved in a crime (the responsible and impacted parties) and, after an open and fair process of discussion, decisions and determinations, the responsible party takes accountability for their actions and works to make repair to the impacted party. Justice is restored.
In our present criminal justice system, the party responsible for the crime — if found guilty — will be punished. They will be prosecuted, judged, and in many instances incarcerated.
Certainly, there are crimes that require prosecution and incarceration. But there are many that can be handled through a healing restorative justice program.
Restorative justice has been proven to reduce the return to crime, reduce the costs of prosecution and incarceration, and in so many instances bring healing and awareness and enlightenment to the person who committed the crime.
There are many success stories whereby victims and responsible parties experience tremendous satisfaction with the restoration of the human condition to go forth and make the right choices and take the path toward personal success.
I have been in training for the past six months with the Williston Community Justice Center to become a volunteer, and I was just appointed to its executive council. We serve Williston, Richmond, Huntington, Hinesburg, St. George and Bolton. Funding for this work comes from a grant through the Vermont Department of Corrections with additional funding made possible through the Williston Police Department and the town of Williston.
We have many partners in this work and the value of this program is recognized not just here in Vermont and in 30 states across the nation, but all over the world — Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Region.
Restorative Justice is not a new phenomenon, but it is growing because humans realize that, rather than asking what laws have been broken, we can ask who has been harmed and how do we repair that harm and make things right for them.
At the Williston Community Justice Center, we have a restorative panel process where we help the responsible party take ownership of what he/she did. We create a legal contract where together we all can address how the responsible party can make amends and repair the harm that was created to all identified impacted parties.
The impacted and responsible parties both can participate in this process. The impacted party’s participation is voluntary, and they can participate in whatever way they choose, whether in person, via impact statement, or not at all. We always make sure to preserve their need for safety and comfort at all times.
The process removes blame and shame and replaces it with responsibility and accountability. Together all parties can come to mutual agreement about what is needed from the responsible party to make things right and restore the harm they have caused. We also supply education, training and classes and we work within the communities. We have a youth panel and provide mentorships and internships to students who become volunteers and take part in this work.
This is just a snapshot of our work at the Williston Community Justice Center. We create connections and relationships, we always require responsibility and accountability, and we are resolution- and agreement-focused.
We are not soft on crime; quite the opposite. We promote personal responsibility and accountability, which in turn creates healthier communities, individual self-esteem and incentivizes acknowledgement and atonement and tremendous personal growth.
Our collaborative partnerships include the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office, a memorandum of understanding with the Chittenden Court system, Probation and Parole, local municipalities, housing agencies, schools, along with many others. Vermont also has statutory language that outlines and defines the use of restorative justice in re-charge and settled cases.
As a society, we must strive to provide healthy ways of living and being with one another. In a nonadversarial process, all parties can take part in the experience and share their personal narratives, impacts, and needs for repair. All parties have voice and choice, with the impacted parties’ needs being at the front and center of the process.
So why should we care about our criminal justice system? Because it is not working. Michelle Alexander is a writer, civil rights advocate, and visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She is best known for her 2010 book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” and is an opinion columnist for The New York Times.
She writes: “As a society, our decision to heap shame and contempt upon those who struggle and fail in a system designed to keep them locked up and locked out says far more about ourselves than it does about them.”
