Case Study
Restorative Leadership: Walking the Talk
The Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ) Directors Team sought to deepen their understanding and application of restorative justice principles within their leadership approaches. To achieve this, they partnered with Just Outcomes with the goal of embedding restorative leadership principles across the team’s operations, fostering a culture that emphasizes relationship-building, trust, and collaboration. Just Outcomes was tasked with designing and facilitating a series of training sessions and experiential activities to support the DCJ Directors Team in effectively modeling these restorative principles.
Just Outcomes implemented a structured series of learning modules and meetings designed to progressively build the DCJ Directors Team’s capabilities in restorative leadership. The approach was experiential and holistic, combining theory, practical exercises, case studies, and reflective dialogue to ensure comprehensive learning and application.
Leadership Learning Modules included:
- Relationship Building and Interest-Based Dialogue
- Foundations for Community Building Circles
- Power Dynamics and Consensus Decision-Making
- Walking the Talk: Characteristics of Restorative Leadership
- Being the Change: Modeling Personal Accountability
- Collaborative Leadership: Sharing Power and Working WITH Others
Through this year-long process and comprehensive approach, the DCJ Directors Team was equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead their department in alignment with restorative justice principles. They developed shared language, frameworks, and processes to work effectively together, along with a clear plan to conduct their future meetings in a relational, collaborative, and transparent manner. The vision is for these leaders to continue guiding their teams restoratively, fostering cultural change, and embodying the principles they seek to instill in their employees and their department’s services.