Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/tag/community-conferencing/)
There is that moment after a conflict, maybe it’s an argument or some harsh words, when we want to reconnect with the other person, but we don’t know exactly how. We are embarrassed sometimes, or maybe afraid to be rejected or hurt again. Maybe we are in pain or ashamed, but we want to repair the relationship. We desire to move forward. This impulse is at the heart of restorative justice, and it occurs in conflicts large and small.
What does restorative justice look like? We hear and read a lot about it, and its popularity is on the rise, but when I ask people to tell me what it means to them I often get vague answers. The truth is that restorative justice is taking forms undreamed of by those that started the movement decades ago. Their basic principles are intact: responsibility, care for all stakeholders, putting those harmed in the center of the process, repair instead of retribution, etc. The manifestations continue to multiply though.
Scott State Prison, in Milledgeville, Ga., was originally built as a hospital during the Great Depression. I was there for a few years, until it closed in 2004. One of the unique features of this place, for a prison anyway, was that it had porches attached to the dormitories. These made a nice spot to go hang out in the heat of summer, and they provided a place for smokers to light up. It helped make up a little for the run-down conditions.