Title: NVAA Learning Activity: Chapter 4: Restorative Justice/Community Justice Series: Training Manual Author: Office for Victims of Crime and National Victim Assistance Academy Published: June 2002 Subject: organizational leadership 4 pages 4,999 bytes ---------------------------- NVAA Learning Activity Chapter 4: Restorative Justice/Community Justice INSTRUCTOR GUIDELINES Key Concepts/Objectives to Emphasize in Instruction and Learning Activities: 1. Principles, values, and/or concepts of restorative justice (National Institute of Corrections or Mennonite Central Committee). (4-3 to 4-5) 2. Key differences between restorative justice and community justice. (4-18) 3. Five "promising practices" in restorative justice and community justice. (4-19 to 4-22) Objectives: 1. Identify criminal and juvenile justice processes that are often mistaken for restorative justice processes. 2. Describe three measures/actions that can be taken to make such processes "truly restorative." Description of Activity and Faculty Guidelines: Following a lecture that highlights the key concepts/objectives, students are divided into groups of four. The instructor provides each group with one of five "traditional justice practices that are often considered restorative" (each topic is pulled from a hat): o Recruiting victims to participate in victim/offender mediation programs without victim services involvement in program planning and implementation. o Victim information and restorative justice resources that emphasize "forgiveness" and "healing." o Judges/paroling authorities ordering offender apologies to his/her victim. o Performance measures that are based strictly upon what justice professionals do for offenders, not victims. o Judges ordering community service in lieu of restitution. Utilizing the individual worksheet, each group will be assigned to discuss the traditional justice practice that is often considered "restorative," and develop three measures that could make the practice "more restorative." The instructor can briefly process the exercise, with an emphasis on: o Identifying victims' needs and concerns as central components of restorative justice. o Involving victims and advocates in planning and implementing restorative/community justice initiatives, and not just in seeking involvement once programs have been established. o Measuring success in justice processes based, to some degree, on the provision of victim services. Can Be Utilized As: __X__ Individual Activity __X__ Small Group Activity _____ Large Group Activity Anticipated Amount of Time Required: 20 Minutes o 05 minutes for group division and instructor directions. o 10 minutes for small group activity. o 05 minutes to process common themes. RESOURCES NEEDED (Please check all that apply:) _____ Tear sheets and felt pens _____ VCR/monitor _____ Overhead projector and screen/LCD and laptop _____ Blank overhead transparencies and overhead pens _____ Masking tape _____ Index cards __X__ Individual or group worksheets __X__ Timer _____ Other (please describe): ---------------------------- GROUP DIVISIONS Make copies of this page, and cut each "criminal/juvenile justice practice that is often considered restorative" into strips. Each group will pull one strip from a hat. Please ensure that there are enough strips to accommodate the number of groups. ---------------- A local jurisdiction establishes a victim/offender mediation (dialogue) program and calls you, the local community-based victim services agency, to see if you can "help get victims to participate." ---------------- A restorative justice program brochure has several notations that emphasize the need for victim "forgiveness," "healing," and "closure." ---------------- The juvenile court judge (or juvenile/adult parole board member) orders the offender at the hearing to "turn around and apologize to your victim(s)." ---------------- The performance measures for the probation officer's annual review include: how many family/social histories s/he completed for youthful offenders (YOs); the number of treatment programs that YOs were referred to; the number of community service hours that were ordered (without any victim input); and the number of client contacts with YOs they had in the past year. ---------------- The judge determined that the offender could not afford to pay restitution, and ordered him to perform community service in lieu of restitution. ---------------------------- STUDENT WORKSHEET "WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?" Traditional Justice Practice That Is Often Considered "Restorative"--Three Ways to Make This Practice "More Restorative" 1. --1. 2. --2. 3. --3.