Restorative Justice is an approach to justice that seeks to repair harm by providing an opportunity for youth who have caused harm and those who have been harmed to come together to communicate about and address their needs in the aftermath of the crime. Restorative Justice Circles Conferences provide a space for:
- Community members to express how the harm has impacted them
- Youth offenders to take responsibility for their actions.
- Understand the harm they have caused.
- Give them an opportunity to redeem themselves.
- And to discourage them from causing further harm.
The Dubuque Youth Restorative Justice program trains facilitators to provide Restorative Justice Conferences or Circles that provides an opportunity for those involved to come together to address the harmful behavior in a process that explores the harm and needs, and a path toward accountability and repair.
When a youth commits an offense for the first time, they are given the opportunity to join the Dubuque Youth Restorative Justice Program in lieu of jail time. Once youth has entered the program, they will be given to a trained Facilitator. Facilitators coordinate a Circle Conference with individuals including those who were harmed, those who caused the harm, community members, parents, and other supportive people utilizing the Circle Conference structured process. The goal of the Circle Conference is to assist participants in developing a mutually acceptable agreement which could allow criminal charges to be dropped for that youth. After the agreement has been made, facilitators complete follow up with the youth and their supportive people to ensure that the agreement and other requirements are being met.
$50 stipend offered for each completed case.
Time commitment varies based on cases.
Other responsibilities include maintaining confidentiality and completing all paperwork in a timely manner.
Police record background check is required.
Free Training is required: August 18 & 19 from 8:30am-5pm (Both dates required) (Lunch and snacks provided!!)
For more information, please contact Jim Jelinske
